The Pre-Veil Saga
by Rihaan
Summary: Before Harry could ever cross the veil and run into the world's most dangerous jester, his fate was already tied to the world's most brilliant witch. Now a standalone in the expanding Universe of Harry and Harley. Harry/Multi
1. Year One, Part One

**Beta'd by Alix33**

For some odd reason, you asked for it. And for completely obvious reasons, I complied.

From this point on, the story before _Harry and Harley_ , the origin point that made Harry and everyone else in his world different from canon, will be in a separate series. Personally, I don't want everyone to just look at the drastically different Harry I made in _Harry and Harley_ and just assume that I made up a bunch of random shit and made him look like a bad-ass. I mean, I did, but there's a back story that's also a bunch of random shit. So please, read the story that somehow got our favorite wizard to Gotham.

A Very Special Thanks to Morgan Patrick Sullivan, Alexander Simpson, Matthew Morrison, AtomicStryker, and Alex Matthews. Thank you for your patronage.

* * *

 ** _The Pre-Veil Saga, Chapter One - Harry and Hermione_**

 _"...I was actually running from my dear cousin and his equal-minded friends when I had the sudden urge to disappear. I closed my eyes really tightly, and when I opened it, I found myself on the roof of the school." His lips quirked with amusement. "But before I could stop myself, I stumbled and fell_ off _the bloody roof. It was a one-story building, but I was six at the time, so I doubt I would have survived, or at least have been critically injured. I screamed, and I didn't even close my eyes when I appeared on the roof again. It was... a strange sensation, disappearing for the first time like that. I've done it quite a few times since then, but it's disorienting, to say the least._

 _"So, that day, I was testing it on the roof; just popping from one side to the other. And when I decided to pop to the ground, it was night time. I still didn't have a full grasp of it. I knew I wasn't ready. So, naturally, I left. Not just the school, mind you; House Number Four, Privet Drive, Little Whinging. I don't know when I left Surrey exactly, but I did get pretty bloody far. From there, I traveled, trying to teach myself new tricks. I learned a lot those few years. I conned con artists, learned how to conjure knives, and eventually, when I stole one, guns, and I regularly used shields to protect myself during sleep. I'd say the shield charm is still the fastest spell I've ever conjured. None of my friends can do it, but I can shoot a shield out of my hand and knock people to the ground with it. When the people got wise of my reputation, I went somewhere else. Throughout my visits, I made a few friends, and I was invited to a few rugby pickup games on occasion. I found out I was rather... gifted. I had quick feet. Very quick. A time before that, I never played sports when I was in school with my cousin, Dudley, so I never really knew if it was my magic that did it subconsciously for me. But I didn't have any way of testing that. I'd like to think I did it on my own merit. I had to do a lot of running when I lived on my own."_

 _"I found out pretty quickly that the easiest place to live during the day was at a local library. As long as you're taking books and reading them, and find a nice secluded corner, you're generally left alone. For the first few times, I used it as a prop to sleep. Then, after a rather rude librarian woke me up, I started pretending to read, and then I found myself immersed in the book. After that, I read a lot of books, to a point that I didn't even bother to sleep anymore. It started with fantasy, of course, but I soon found that I enjoyed nonfiction; Architecture, neuroscience, some basic math, history. It was very fascinating._

 _There was one book I discovered on psychology; how to clear your mind, and to organize thoughts. So, I learned the art of Mind Magicks. I now have near-perfect recall of all of my memories. I have the option to suppress, or even_ delete _, the memories I don't want, and protect the ones that mean a lot to me. Incidentally, I also learned to protect my mind from outside threats. Wizards call it Occlumency. The opposite of that – reading minds – is called Legilimency, and that's an even rarer gift. I don't have that. The range of my complete memory goes back to when I was about a year old. I can easily, as if it were ten minutes ago, recall the last six months of my parents' lives."_

 _"I won't bore you with the details, but I had figured out why my parents died. That's when I first discovered they were wizards. I was always told by my aunt and uncle that they died in a car crash. What really happened was the Dark Overlord I was telling you about. And I heard a magical prophecy, that as I discovered later, wizards fully believe in, because psychics actually do exist. They've never said the full thing in front of me, but I got the gist of it. He kills me or I kill him. No one else can. Not that anyone's bothered to try. This time around, at least."_

 _A feminine voice cleared her throat. "I'd say we've been doing a pretty bloody good job, Harry."_

 _"Not without our hurdles. And that was before Voldemort was ever in the picture."_

* * *

 _-October 2, 1989-_

"Excuse me."

Harry, far too engrossed in his book, jumped a little in his chair, and looked towards his intruder, who had stepped back in response. "Oh. Sorry. Hello."

"Hi," she said meekly. "I'm terribly sorry for intruding, but I just wanted to ask you if you were done with any of those?"

Harry looked over at the pile of books in front of him, stacked neatly by the category he found them. He flushed. "Sorry," he muttered embarrassingly, "I didn't know the pile had gotten that high."

"It happens to us all," she smiled. "Well, _me_. And you, I suppose. Do you really read all of them?"

Harry nodded. "Usually by the end of the day."

"Really?" She looked interested. "All of that? Those are some rather thick volumes."

"Eidetic memory," he informed her curtly, knowing that it was a believable, somewhat, stock story in comparison to him telling people about his powers. He had read more than one novel about a protagonist who runs for their lives after revealing their unknown powers.

He was _not_ going to be probed.

The girl's eyes brightened. "You do? That's a real thing? I've read that there isn't a proven case of that yet."

Harry nodded with interest. He hadn't dealt with someone who actually knew what eidetic memory was. They'd assume it was relating to photographic memory, and leave him be. "That's the only rational explanation I have for why I can flip through pages and know every word."

"Oh," she gasped in understanding, "so you weren't just scanning the pages?" Harry could tell she was genuinely curious; not mocking him, as someone would usually do when they see a small boy flipping through a Dickens novel.

"No, I've been reading. It's been a while since I've gone to the library, and…" his eyes glanced over the stacks. "I picked up whatever's new to me. I tend to get the bigger books out of the way." He looked over to the girl. "I haven't checked any out; they're here to take if you want to read one."

"Oh, no," she shook her head. "Miss Bryan just wanted me to ask you to put up the books. I'll tell her that you're still reading."

"I'll put them back in the right place," Harry promised, and she nodded gratefully, before turning and walking away, down the fiction aisle.

He went back to his book.

He had barely gotten two pages when a small tap distracted him, and he looked up once more to see her apologetic brown eyes. "Let me guess," he said dryly, "she wants me to put up the books right _now_?"

"It's policy," she muttered defensively, "and we can't have everyone taking all the books they want for themselves and make a fort out of them. Two books at a time."

Harry sighed. "That seems reasonable, I guess." He eyed her carefully. "So, are you the librarian's daughter or something?"

She shook her head. "I wait here after school for my parents to pick me up from work. Miss Bryan looks after me."

"So, you wouldn't object to helping me put up the books?"

Again, she shook her head in the negative. "Sorry, but she doesn't want me to help you. She wants me to make sure you put them all in the right place."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "A bit demanding, isn't she?"

"She's teaching you a lesson," she defended, with a touch of anger. "You _did_ break the rules."

"I broke protocol and regulation, not the rules. I've read the pamphlet when I came in here, and it said nothing about the amount of books I can remove from the shelf at the same time."

That gave her pause. "It doesn't? Are you sure?"

"I trust my memory."

She looked lost for a moment. "Are you sure?" she asked him again.

Harry sighed. "If you can find it in the rulebook for this library, then I'll return all the books; I promise."

"B-but it's a courtesy!"

"You are the librarian's assistant – it's also a courtesy to help others when they ask for it."

She shook her head defiantly, her bushy brown hair swishing against her shoulders. "The librarian's word is _final_. Rules or not, she enforces them."

"Exactly." Harry's eyes went back to his book. "Not you."

The little girl stared at him, incredulous at his blatant disregard of her presence and the rules set before him, before she huffed and stalked away.

When the brown-haired girl returned, the librarian keeping up with the little girl's pace, he was gone.

* * *

 _"Are you still mad at me for that?"_

 _"I'm more embarrassed; Not a good first impression I've made."_

 _"Still, it was a good precursor for things to come; giving you headaches since the very day I met you."_

 _"Harry, of all the things you give me on a basis, a headache doesn't come to mind."_

 _"Ironic," Luna pointed out as she lay against the cushion, "considering when you get a headache, nothing else comes to mind_ except _for the headache."_

* * *

 _-November 15, 1989-_

"Excuse me, but…" she gasped. " _You!_ "

Harry winced and lowered his book. He knew this library looked familiar; he never bothered reading the names of them. "Oh… hello, again. How have you been?" he began uneasily.

"Where did you go?" She scowled at him.

"I was hiding in the nonfiction section. This whole time."

She narrowed her eyes. "For eight weeks?"

"Fine, then; the religion section. I was trying to find sanctuary, so I wouldn't be yelled at."

She was aware that he was joking, so she refrained from spouting that they didn't _have_ a religious section. "Every book was in its right place on the shelves, and I was gone for half-a-minute at the most. How did you do that?" He wasn't sure if she was angry because he had escaped her clutches, or because she couldn't figure out _how_ he did it.

"You scare me that much," he said dryly. Seeing as she wasn't in a laughing mood, he decided to give her a serious, never-the-less, false excuse. "My memory helped me out. I remember where every book goes, and I just went back through the shelves, putting them back."

"That giant pile? In less than a minute?"

Harry nodded. "It's not like you're gonna believe anything else."

She silently conceded to his point. She slumped as the fight left her, and gave a tired sigh. "At least you don't have a pile of books around you anymore," she noted with a hint of relief.

Harry again nodded. "In case I run into people like you."

She crossed her arms. "It's not right. In the library, you don't hog all of the books to yourself. You just _don't_."

The green-eyed boy shrugged. "Alright."

She stood awkwardly. "Alright?"

"Alright; I won't do it again. So, will we have any trouble from here on out?"

"I never wanted any trouble."

"I was never looking for it. But I'm willing to forget about it if you are."

She looked hesitant. "This isn't how I imagined this meeting would go."

"Build-up of anticipation for eight weeks does that for you," he teased, and she blushed prettily. "Harry," he grinned, and held out his hand.

She reached for it with a small smile, her overbite complimenting her smile, in his eyes. "Hermione."

* * *

 _-April 23, 1990-_

"What school do you go to?"

"Were you looking for me at yours?" He wondered, his book forgotten. That happened a lot recently.

"Of course not," she huffed indignantly, her cheeks pink. "I just haven't seen you in uniform."

Harry was aware of the hideous green school uniform, and had once considered copying the boy's version to blend in, but ultimately decided that he could never do that. Even he had standards. "I don't go to school."

"You're homeschooled, then?" she reasoned logically.

"I wouldn't call it that."

"What do you mean?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing. I've just been moving around a lot."

"And that affects your homeschooling?"

"Not really. I just don't live anywhere."

She gasped. " _Really_?"

Harry put a finger to his lips. "We're in a library, you know."

"How do you not have a home?" she whispered urgently, her eyes showing a sense of alarm, and it could have been a trick of the light, but she looked sad at the prospect.

The boy shrugged. "Wasn't really my choice. My relatives… hinted that they prefer me as far away as possible. I didn't argue."

"For how long?" she asked incredulously, her mind reeling at the boy in front of her, not living under a roof.

He looked pointedly at her, his green eyes searching. "A few years. No point in calling anyone about it, now."

He could see the battle warring on in her features. He knew that if he had ever told her, she would call for help. In the few months he had spent with her, she had gone from absolutely worshipping authority figures, unquestionably obeying them, to admitting that the librarian could be a bit harsh 'sometimes'.

He didn't have much faith that she wouldn't immediately run to the librarian.

However, she surprised him with her hesitant nod. "How are you living day-to-day?" she asked him, her eyes roaming him over like it was the first time ever seeing him. He looked down at his own Nottingham Forest shirt that he had seen in the store, and it looked clean and new.

He looked back up to her and grinned. "I get by."

"You steal?"

Harry nodded unabashedly. "I can't get a job, now can I?"

She crossed her arms. "And that's your excuse."

"It's the one I'm sticking to."

"Do you feel proud of yourself? Taking from hardworking people?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Most times, yes. It's amazing how much I can get away with."

Hermione fidgeted, and he inwardly smirked as he realized that she remembered when he had eluded her the first time they met, months ago. "Could you do me a favor?"

Harry nodded, unsure.

"Don't get caught." Her eyes pleaded with him. "Please."

Harry wasn't intending to. And now, looking into her eyes, he made a solemn promise that he wouldn't.

* * *

 _"You know," Harry remarked, "you took that pretty well, considering. And you didn't ask many questions about it."_

 _"Harry, I know you can't believe it, but there was actually a time where you weren't a social person. Even if I asked, I couldn't get the right answers out of you. And my mind was working far faster than you give me credit for. You may recall that I found your last name a few days later because I looked you up after that very moment."_

 _"I'm almost surprised you didn't find me under the name 'Freak the Bastard Child', to be honest."_

 _"...I'm glad they're dead."_

* * *

 _"You know, there was a time when you were happy to go to Hogwarts. Remember when you got your letter?"_

 _Hermione had a wistful look on her features. "Yeah, there was a time. I was naïve, certainly. One thing I'll always cherish, though – the look on your face when I told you about it. When you realized that you could tell me everything."_

 _"And that was when Hermione Granger broke her first rule," Luna smiled, her eyes closed. "Before she even read that Harry was a celebrity, she had already made the choice to tell her best friend that she had gotten an invitation to Hogwarts."_

 _"Are you falling asleep on me, Luna?" Hermione asked the blond resting on her chest, amused._

 _"I was listening, you just have such soft pillows," Luna purred, and Hermione blushed._

 _"Moving on," the brunette murmured, purposefully ignoring her boyfriend's chuckles and the others' muffled laughter, "I got the letter, and I thought logically about it. It seemed that Harry certainly qualified for having magic, what with the adventures he's told me about, and the things I've seen him do, and I reasoned that he would likely be getting a letter had someone known where he went."_

 _"That was around the time I finally mastered Occlumency, and the memories started to come easier to me. I was sorting out my memories bit by bit for organization – a little each day, as the book suggested. I woke up one day knowing what my parents look like, the same day Hermione got that letter. She showed me the letter, and I told her... well, everything, really."_

 _"You wouldn't shut up," Hermione muttered, her lips curved upwards. "It was sweet. You spilled out your soul to me, secrets that you've never told anyone other than Luna. Your trust is, even now, rather sacred."_

 _Harry flushed at her high thought of him. "Well, you didn't have to say it like that," he murmured embarrassingly, "some things are hard to talk about, is all. Besides, you broke a rule for me; a rule with almost unimaginable consequences, just because you had a hunch about me."_

 _"Harry, I wouldn't have gone without you," she said defiantly. "I told you before I told my parents, because I didn't want to be pressured into going. I had almost no idea if you were magical or not. I'd already made up my mind; if I couldn't bring my only friend, then I wasn't going to Hogwarts."_

 _"_ Hmph _. You had friends before we even got on the boats, Hermione."_

 _"Yes, and I wonder whose charm can be blamed for that? Certainly not mine."_

 _"You're not giving yourself enough credit. I think we were both rather popular in the carriage."_

 _"You're jumping ahead, Harry."_

 _"So I am. Nothing much happened anyway, except for Sirius."_

 _"Because that's something worth glossing over. Honestly..."_

* * *

 _-September 1, 1991-_

The dark brown-haired boy stepped off the boat and held his hand out.

"Such a gentleman," she remarked, giggling as she jumped off the boat, their hands linked.

Harry shrugged. "Not really. I got you those shoes; I don't want anything happening to them."

"Prat."

He smiled. "No, I'm just cheap."

"You didn't even pay for these!"

"I'm _really_ cheap."

She laughed again. He had always liked that laugh. "Sure. You did it because you're cheap."

"I can't think of any other reason," Harry said slyly.

"Oh, get a room you two," Daphne muttered, climbing awkwardly out of the boat. Harry quickly went to her assistance, and she gratefully smiled. She watched as Harry held out his hand for Susan and Cho as well.

"Any chance you could get me a pair of shoes, too?" Susan smiled sweetly, fluttering her eyelids.

Cho tilted her head over to the brunette. "I don't think she would like that."

Hermione rolled her eyes. The three had been teasing them the entire train ride, ever since they walked in on her sitting on Harry's lap, reading a book. It was something they had done for a while, at this point, and it was completely innocent, but they all found it quite funny. "Let's go. Harry, I think the sorting will start soon. You won't get another chance alone."

Harry glanced around at the children who were otherwise distracted by the magnificent sight that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first time in their lives. He saw Hagrid, who was corralling the boats onto the shore. "I suppose it's as good as a time as any." He shook his head wildly, the long locks of chestnut hair spinning loosely.

"What are you – oh!" Susan squeaked, now getting a good look at his hair. The brown hair was now black, the glow of the lanterns floating around them all making it easy to see the slightly changed colouring from a close distance.

"A Glamour charm?" Daphne inquired, and Harry nodded. "Why?"

"I'm trying to keep a low profile – it's something Padfoot taught me a few weeks ago. I can hide my scar easy, but people would still notice."

"Your… scar?" Cho said slowly, enraptured by the boy's bright green eyes that she was just _positive_ wasn't there before.

Susan gasped. "Harry? Harry… Potter?"

The Boy-Who-Lived held his finger to his lips and winked.

"You're supposed to be missing, or _dead_ ," Daphne whispered, shocked that she was standing near him, let alone talking to him for the past few hours on the train.

"I am," he explained sagely. "I've been allowed by the 'beings that are' to visit Hogwarts for one day, to see how my life could have been, with the best company I could find."

Hermione swatted his shoulder. "They've already seen a ghost. You don't need to spook them."

"So when you joked about breaking your Godfather out of jail…" Susan whispered, her skin white.

Harry shook his head. "It was a joke. He was also completely innocent. If I didn't know for a fact, I wouldn't have broken him out."

"You really did break Sirius Black out?" Cho urgently asked him, her voice pitching, her volume low. "But you just said you were joking!"

"Oh, no. I wasn't joking about _that_. I was referring to the security system of Azkaban."

Susan looked ready to faint, and Cho looked primed to drop soon after. Daphne, however, had a wide grin on her face. "You are _not_ what I expected you to be."

"Last I checked, you expected me to be dead." He raised his hand. "Hope I'm doing better than that. Harry Potter."

She immediately shook it. "Daphne Greengrass. Pleased to meet the Boy-Who-Lived-Then-Died."

He frowned. "My friends just call me 'Harry'."

"I didn't know I was your friend," she feigned shock, fanning herself with her other hand.

"I'm calling you my friend, not my concubine," he said cheekily, and chuckled when her cheeks flushed.

The redhead of the group took a deep breath. "I'm Susan Bones. Nice to meet you – again." Harry gently released Daphne's hand in favor of shaking Susan's outstretched palm.

"If I may ask," Cho asked hesitantly, "Why isn't he exonerated if he didn't commit a crime? Why tell us that he didn't do anything if you didn't tell anyone else?"

Harry shrugged. "More fun this way to have it revealed when we get the real guy. Sirius is a bit of a prankster."

"We?" Cho muttered weakly.

"Harry and I," Hermione chimed in, "will be catching him. We've already seen him on the train. He's absolutely powerless and helpless right now. Especially seeing as he doesn't have a wand."

"Sounds interesting," Daphne admitted. "I hope to see you still alive when it's all said and done."

"If there's a guarantee I'll live, it wouldn't be as fun."

Hermione swatted at his arm once again, and he dodged it. "Prat!"

"This…" Susan started, as she saw the brunette chase her friend all the way to the castle, "…is going to be an interesting year."

"Certainly more interesting than last year," Cho breathed, "and I don't know if that's good or bad."

"If you knew, it wouldn't be as fun," Daphne mimicked, her grin refusing to go anywhere. "I hope he lets me tell Tracey about this!"

"I think he will," Susan speculated. "And the twins. We were all in the same compartment."

There was a small pause as they began the trek towards the school, leaving Hagrid and the gang of first years behind. They had a relative guess as to where they were headed.

"Is anyone else going to point out that he knows what a concubine is?" Daphne wondered innocently, drawing looks of recognition.

"Black is an ancient and noble house," Susan shrugged, "so I'm sure Harry's read some books. What intrigues me is the fact that he specifically asked you to be a concubine."

Daphne tilted her head towards the pair of obvious misfits, who were now struggling to out-tickle each other. "I think the role of anything higher is rather taken at this point."

Cho looked scandalized at the thought. "They're _first years_!"

"First years that broke a wanted man out of the maximum security ward of a prison that has _never_ been broken out of. Your point?"

Susan giggled at Cho's fish imitation. "In her defense, I don't think they know that they like each other yet."

Cho looked over to Harry's high-pitched laughter as he was tickled mercilessly by Hermione. He hugged her close to him to lock her arms, and they fell to the ground, laughing. "It's funny," The pretty Asian girl noted. "They're in front of the most amazing castle I've ever seen, and they didn't take a second glance at it."

Susan stopped. " _I_ didn't even take a second glance at it." She looked at the school, the glowing magnificence, well aware of the history this building represented. And she looked back at the couple; Hermione had her hands locked behind her back as Harry grinned at them, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"Caught her," Harry said happily, completely ignoring his captive's squeals of laughter. Hermione made no real attempt to escape his clutches, instead moving to whip her hair around, continuously slapping his face with her wild bushy brown hair. Harry winced every time, but he held firm, his grin wide.

"I've said it before – get a room," Daphne chuckled, watching their flushed cheeks burn with exertion. "For someone trying to be low-key, don't you think you'd try to be… low-key?"

Hermione slung her hair over to her other side once more, then craned her neck to Harry. "I blame you."

Harry grinned and blew a small breath onto her neck, and she gasped and shivered. "It's not too late. We've got an impression to make."

Unthinkingly, Hermione craned her neck and kissed his cheek. "Let's go, then."

* * *

 _-September 12, 1991-_

"You know what? I think I'll keep it."

Harry glared at Malfoy, who tossed the glass ball in the air with little caution. "Can't afford one on your own, then? Have to take hand-me-downs from someone you like to call a Squib?"

The blonde sputtered. "Shut it, Potter! You want it back? Come take it." Without a word, he sped off into the sky.

After glancing towards Hermione and Parvati, who looked deep in conversation about how useless a remembrall was if it couldn't even remind you of what you forgot, he turned back to a grinning, floating, ponce. "You know what? I think I'm good down here."

Malfoy laughed. "What? _Scared_ , Potter?"

"It's not my remembrall; Neville seems like an okay guy, but I wouldn't literally fly through hoops for him."

The boy scoffed. "This is what your Golden boy is, everyone! Scared of ruddy heights!"

"That's not a bad name," Harry muttered to himself, before he yelled back up, "At least you've accomplished one of your lifelong goals; high and mighty over everyone else!"

Draco looked indignant as the small crowd of children laughed at him, including a few Slytherins. "I'll show you, Potter," he whispered, before he tightened his legs around his broom, and pushed himself forward.

Towards the ground. Towards Harry.

The ebony-haired child looked at the boy speeding towards him incredulously. What would he mean to accomplish if he crashed into him? It would probably hurt Draco more. Was he planning on only getting a fright out of him, pulling up at the last minute? He hoped he realized he was going far too fast to stop at that pace.

On second thought – no. He hoped Draco didn't realize that at all.

The children immediately around him scattered, but he stood his ground. This was Harry's true first impression. And he liked leaving a mark.

He slid his wand out of his back pocket, marveling at how easy it's been since using the frail object, before pointing it skywards. " _Protego_!" he chanted, casting a simple shield charm.

 _At_ Draco.

The boy's eyes could only widen in surprise as the small wave of energy shot towards him, and hit him in the shoulder.

He was unconscious before he fell off the broom, his body twisting and turning as he tumbled thirty feet to the earth.

He had barely fallen ten feet when Harry swooped under him, catching him with both arms as he balanced himself on his broom.

The kid was uncomfortably light, but Harry figured that – the frail boy's best friends were practically body guards, and for good reason.

Though, he wasn't sure how well they were faring if they were getting paid, because they were currently staring up at him dumbly, simply watching as Harry returned their keeper to them and dropped the boy three feet into their quick-to-respond arms.

He floated back to Hermione, who had ran forward to greet him, shaking her head incredulously. "I thought you were going to keep your powers a secret?" She asked him, exasperated.

"I just shot a shield charm – incantation out loud and everything. It's got to be second year at the most, isn't it?" Harry guessed, figuring that spell wasn't all too complex to learn for anyone, really.

He really needed to start reading the titles of books instead of rushing right through the material.

" _Fourth_ year," Hermione corrected him, "and as far as I've read, nothing suggests that it can be used as anything other than a shield that wraps around you. You can't _throw_ it."

"But… I just did," Harry pointed out.

The brunette huffed, but he could see the corners of her lips turned upwards. "So you did. Imagine everyone's surprise when they find out they _can't_."

Harry shrugged as he hopped off the Cleansweep broom. "I'm sure if they put their minds to it – "

"MISTER POTTER!"

Harry winced at the sound. "Haven't heard her like that since the Sorting."

Hermione remembered as well as he did, and she was sure she'd never forget the look on everyone's faces when they saw the once feared dead Boy-Who-Lived. "Hopefully, she won't force you to explain what happened this time in front of everyone."

Harry sighed. He had decided, after he was practically forced to tell a far more dramatic tale of his upbringing to the enraptured public, that he wasn't going to be pushed to explain anything about his life after the Dursleys. Especially with Dumbledore watching. Just looking at the elderly man gave him a headache.

"I'll be back after class," he muttered, handing her a spinning glass ball, turning away to follow the irate Scotswoman, and his best friend nodded, expecting nothing less.

* * *

McGonagall's eye twitched. Not once did she consider that he might say _no_ to her deal. "Pardon?"

Harry set his eyes upon both Oliver Wood and his professor with firmness. "I didn't agree to join the Quidditch team. We never even talked about it. I've barely been here a week! I can't add practices and games to my schedule." Not to mention how Hermione might respond if he had more time taken away from her. And, with her birthday coming up soon, he didn't want anything interrupting what he had planned.

Still, looking into their eyes, he could tell that they weren't intentionally forcing him into the sport, and were genuinely hurt by the thought that he wouldn't even consider it. "I don't want to go to practice. I just don't have the time nor patience. And I don't even own a broom."

"You can own as many brooms as you want, Mister Potter," the professor informed him after regaining her composure. "Your father was the chief investor in Nimbus."

Harry's eyebrows rose. He certainly wasn't told that when he had gone to Gringotts. He made a mental note to see what else he hadn't been told. "Still, I won't have the time. I've heard horror stories about your training schedule, Wood. I want no part of it."

The fifth year student, to his credit, didn't flinch. "You'd be the only first-year to be on the Quidditch team in at least a century, Potter. You sure you wouldn't at least try to go for the reserve? If you're anything like your father, I'd try anything at this point."

Harry winced at the abstract memory, of his father sneaking him onto a broom and flying him all across London for a day.

He didn't know how his mother found out, but she did. It was not pretty.

"What would I have to do in Reserve?" He wondered, half-feigning interest.

"Show up for one of the practices once every two weeks, and only the minimum time. According to Professor McGonagall, you seem to be the best as a Chaser, but I'd like to test you on that myself. I just want you to come to the rehearsal trials."

Harry weighed his options. "I'll have to think about it," he finally decided. "I've seen the bulletin. I'll tell you by next Saturday if I show up or not."

Wood seemed to breathe a sigh of relief – it was as good as he was going to get at the moment. "Alright. I'll be in the fifth year dorm if you need anything. Thank you, Professor." He nodded once, and after being dismissed, walked back into class.

The Deputy Headmistress looked like she very much wanted to say something, but the emerald-eyed boy looked firm in his decision. A part of her would be pleased to note that she may have inadvertently stolen a Ravenclaw student from Flitwick – willing to think ahead and focus on studies rather than sports. "Thank you for indulging me, Mister Potter. You may return to class."

"Can I go back in a moment, Professor? My classmates are expecting me to be expelled, or worse, by you right now. I want to make them squirm a bit. Draco all but cancelled class for today."

McGonagall caught herself from smiling. She'd be even more pleased to taunt Severus with the thought that the boy in front of her could have been a Slytherin. "Very well, Mister Potter. Shall I interest you in a biscuit? Lunch is next, anyway."

Harry gratefully accepted, and the two walked to her office, McGonagall subtly explaining the rules of Quidditch, and the heart-breaking tale of how the Quidditch Cup hadn't been in her house's hands in a decade.

That streak would end that very year.

* * *

 _-October 30, 1991-_

"So," eleven year-old Harry muttered awkwardly, skimming his fingers alongside the brick walls of the corridors, "I'm aware that I'm a celebrity, but I'm starting to find this a bit creepy."

No one responded. He didn't expect her to.

"Or maybe you're not a fan," he said slowly, "maybe you just find me attractive. If it helps, I find you attractive. But I honestly have no idea how that relationship would work. You can't exactly take me to Hogsmeade without raising a few eyebrows, can you? I mean, it's conceivable, in a year or two, but for now, it'd only be a pipedream. So I could understand why you want to follow at a distance."

His free hand dug into the pocket of his robes for a moment, before he pulled out a small sheet of plain, normal paper. "I keep your secret, and you keep mine, okay? I can see you – I always have. My mum showed me this once. Apparently, I giggled at the dots moving randomly around the paper, and it never failed to put me to sleep. _The Marauder's Map_ , they called it. That's what my dad and his friends called themselves. You work for a man who practically raised them – You should ask about them sometime. They're a fascinating bunch; bullies with good intentions. Just like the guy you report to. Am I right?"

Silence. Harry paid it no mind as he poked the paper, watching as the animation came to life. "They all had one; it was a bit of a competition to see which one made it the best. His friend Moony won, but he got it confiscated soon after. He never tried to go after it – after all, they had three more. Filch never knew what he had. Don't tell him I said that, okay?"

The Boy-Who-Lived watched his specially-made red dot blinking on the paper, and the two dots in close proximity. "Of course, the one mum showed me went with everything else in the fire, but as soon as I remembered it, I made one of my own before I even got here. You have no idea how bloody useful this thing is. Hermione's got a copy, but I can't give it to anyone else – not until I get Wormtail." He spied the abnormally tiny red 'X' on the paper and groaned. "You'd know him better as Peter Pettigrew, I'd imagine. But right now, he's in a form that makes him harder to catch – for me, anyway."

He snapped his head sideways, towards a dark corridor, and a figure jumped back. Harry grinned. "You can come out now," he said placatingly, leaning alongside the wall and sliding down to the floor. "You've been following me all this time; you're going to have to work with me if you want this to continue. I can get away from you anytime I want. You've only been allowed to see the things you see because I want you to see it. Now that I've got it all planned out, it's time to return the favor. It's much more valuable than reporting on a kid doing nothing, isn't it?"

Yellow eyes pierced from the darkness, curious. "You don't want to catch a rat for me? I'd say he's worth quite a few meals."

The black cat padded silently and slowly towards the kneeling boy, her nose wriggling cutely.

She stopped a few feet away. Harry slowly pointed to the spot on the map.

"I imagine you've got this place mapped out in your head. You've been here enough years to know exactly where this is. On the third floor, next to the painting of the knight riding a unicorn into battle. There's a small room behind the painting. There, you'll find the fattest, juiciest rat you'll ever see. If you get him, come back to me with the head. That's all I want – the head."

Mrs. Norris eyed the map with great intensity, her ears flickering back and forth, twitching excitedly. Then, without warning, the small cat shot forward, brushing past his leg, and quickly paced down the corridor, hissing menacingly.

Harry stood up when the cat drifted around the corner, tapping his map once again. He smiled to himself as he pocketed the folded sheet.

"If you want your cousin to be proved innocent, I'd hurry. No time to report to Dumbledore. Time is ticking, Ms. Tonks. We'll talk tomorrow at that spot, this time. No one'll know you're missing – it's Halloween, after all. A time for celebration."

Harry walked on, smiling slightly as his sensitive hearing picked up a whispered curse.

* * *

 _-October 31, 1991-_

Hermione breathed raggedly, her voice in hiccups. "H-Harry?"

"'M alright," the boy slurred, struggling to get to his feet. "Ah!" he gasped, and fell back to the ground. "Bloody – my leg hurts like _hell_!"

"Don't move it!" she said urgently, forcing herself to move from the corner; she scrambled forward, pushing the rubble out of her way as she reached her friend. "Hold on," she frantically whispered, moving to his side and giving him a once-over. She flinched as her eyes locked onto the awkward way his left leg was bent. When she looked back at his face, his eyes were closed. "Speak to me, Harry," she muttered brokenly, her voice raw. She reached for his wand arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. " _Please_."

"I's sorry," he slurred again. "Gettin' you in this. M' fault."

"It's not your fault, Harry. You know that." She lifted him slowly, making sure he could lean on her. "I've got you. Let's get you to the Hospital Wing."

The battered, broken child didn't seem to hear her. "How could you say it's no' m' fault?" He was angry, now, and she wasn't sure if he was angry at himself or the entire situation. "You don't deserve this. None of it."

She hooked her arm behind his back. "Harry – look." She waited patiently until Harry lifted his weary head to look at the giant carcass before them, the beast's headless body still. "This is not your fault. It is this – this _thing's_ fault! Not yours! Don't blame yourself for this."

"You… you almost died tonight, 'Mione. You almost died because you followed me into this." He looked over to her, seeing her teary face. "I… I can't – "

She leaned over and gave a quick, gentle kiss on his lips. "Shut up, Harry," she whispered. "You talk too much."

Harry was silent as his best friend led him out of girl's bathroom, stumbling slightly. They were halfway down the corridor when he spoke again. "I'm still sorry."

Hermione gave a weak chuckle. "I'm not kissing you again. Not until you're checked out by Madame Pomfrey."

"Worth a shot." He was silent for a moment. "How the hell did a troll get into the school?"

The brunette bookworm shrugged helplessly. "Maybe Nymphadora didn't catch Wormtail?"

Harry shook his head. "I checked the map this morning – she has him. He's still in rat form, too."

"I'll meet with her," Hermione told him, leaving no room for argument. "Tomorrow. We'll take Pettigrew and Owl him to Madame Bones."

"Not safe enough," Harry grunted, lifting his damaged leg high and holding more firmly onto Hermione, in favor of hopping at a more rapid pace. "And not trustworthy enough. The school owl will eat him. I'd need to transfigure a cage."

"I'll do it, and don't argue."

Harry chuckled weakly. "Fine. We still need to figure out who did this."

"I don't think Dumbledore would've done it," she wondered, pacing to keep up with Harry's stride. "We'll have to ask Snape about it – he might know something."

"Hope this meeting goes better than the last."

Hermione noticed that his grunts were getting steadily louder. "Harry? How's the pain?"

He shook his head. "It hurts, but it's starting to fade."

She went still. That wasn't a good thing.

Quicker than a flash, Harry was hoisted into her arms bridal style, earning a _yip_ from the Boy-Who-Lived, and she paced faster down the corridors. "Hermione!"

"I'm not letting you lose a leg for me, Potter!" She growled, her eyes staring straight forward. Faster than she thought her small, slim legs could carry her, the bookworm rushed towards the moving stairway. "Emergency!" She yelled loudly, and the staircase quickly lined up for her, leading to a more-or-less direct path to the floor she wanted.

She made a mental note to read _Hogwarts: A History_ more.

Harry was silent for a few seconds, helplessly hanging onto the girl's neck. "I'd lose a lot more for you," he whispered, his eyes closing.

Hermione could practically feel him start to lose his strength, and shook him roughly as she hopped up the stairs. "Come on, Harry! Stay with me! I need you to be awake!" She had seen him fall nine feet from the troll's back to the tiled floor, head-first, and without missing a beat, summon a knife and jump on the beast's back once more. It was imperative that he stay conscious, or he might suffer a concussion, and she didn't know what cure there was for that, or if Wizards even knew what those were at this point.

Plus… she didn't know what to do. She felt as much fear now as she had facing a troll about to club her into oblivion.

Harry was jolted awake by the brunette's shaking. "I don't think you're supposed to do this to someone injured." It came out as a protest, but his voice was weak, and his breath shortened as he spoke.

More tears streamed from her eyes as she made it to the top of the staircase, and without stopping, turned left. "Please, Harry. Stay with me." Her voice was just as soft. She didn't think it would be fair to scream at him again as long as he listened.

"I'm not gonna die, Hermione," he said forcefully, and her eyes lowered to his pale skin for a moment, dubious.

She couldn't understand why, but she could feel Harry's life draining away in her arms – the danger was over, but the impending doom that had surrounded them, for some reason, stayed.

Harry had, at the _most_ , a concussion, a cut on his cheek from a broken marble sink, and a disfigured leg that could probably be fixed with a bit of skelegrow.

But, for some reason, Hermione had the overwhelming feeling that if she didn't get him to the Hospital Wing _right now_ , he would die.

She shook her head, slowing down minutely, her left leg beginning to cramp. This was ridiculous. She didn't even know what to tell Madame Pomfrey when she got there. ' _Madame Pomfrey, please help us! We were attacked by a troll! Yes, we know we were supposed to be in our dorms, but Harry had to come get me! How the hell was I supposed to know that the name_ Eugene _belonged to a troll? It was a dot on a map to me! I was just trying to get to Quirrell, before he went into the Slytherin's dorms. I just wanted to ask him about a man he seems to be… close to. I don't judge, it's just… it's complicated._ '

She'd rather avoid the entire conversation. She didn't want to reveal the map, or any of the answers to questions that may come with it.

Working with Harry was a chore – she had known that since she followed him to Azkaban and helped him break out Sirius. He had protested the idea every step of the way, of course.

But when he finally woke up, he would never hear the end of how honored she felt being by his side.

Her eyebrows furrowed – where did that slip come from? When he _woke up_? – and she looked down.

Harry hung limply in her arms, his jaw hanging lethargically, his hands slowly sliding off her shoulders. She could only see the whites of his wide-open eyes.

" ** _HARRY!_** "

* * *

 _"Y'know, I've never killed anyone before that. I mean, I've held guns..." he scoffed mirthlessly. "I've_ made _guns. Whenever I was in trouble on my own, I've fired the gun, and my force-shield charm went behind it. I've never had to use a bullet. Though I've met a lot of people who deserved them. But when that Troll went for Hermione..." his eyes went unfocused, before he quickly shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Hermione hunted down one of our professors, and explained what was going on. With his help, she wiped the school nurse of her memory and took me to his chambers instead. He was really the best person we could've gone to either way – he brews the potions that the nurse, Madame Pomfrey uses. Hermione didn't trust her, and we had every right to trust Snape. He, err, owed a favor to my dad, and by proxy, me."_

* * *

 _-Hours Later-_

"I never read that pamphlet."

"Huh?" Hermione asked eloquently from the chair next to him, looking through her new favorite book. The amount of things she discovered about the school were fascinating. She made a note to tell Harry about the more useful details, like the idea that every founder left a piece of themselves behind with a hidden room / private study. Just the idea of a large room of books collected by Rowena Ravenclaw tantalized her to no end.

"That pamphlet," Harry muttered again. "I never read it." He shrugged weakly - as much as he could, lain in a medical bed. "Just assumed that's what it said. I mainly wanted you to leave so I could get out unnoticed. I couldn't have an adult looking into who I am."

Her mind's eye showed a vivid recollection of her first conversation with the boy in front of her. "Harry – I already knew that. I tried looking for one after you left. We didn't have an informational material of any kind at that library."

"Oh." He laid there, staring at her blankly. "Thanks for not hating me."

She smiled softly. "Who says I didn't hate you? You're the bane of my existence, Harry. I've been waiting until this very moment to take you down when you least expect it."

Harry closed his eyes. "Make it quick, then."

"My pleasure," a voice sounded behind them, and they both jumped. "If only that was a command," the thin, pale man intoned silkily, looking down at them over his hooked nose. "Ah, to dream again… I highly doubt it was, so I suppose I still find myself a _peon_ to the Boy-Who-Lived."

The small boy smiled weakly. "Good to see you too, Snape."

He frowned at the lack of respect, but otherwise ignored it. "A troll, Mister Potter? You skipped the feast so you could go fight a troll? If there was ever a banner for Gryffindor…"

Harry sighed. He was going to go against his word on giving Severus free speech one day; he just knew it. "No, _Snivellus_. Hermione went to meet Tonks to pick up Wormtail. I was preoccupied dealing with the most annoying boy in the world. He seemed quite gleeful at the thought that I lost my parents ten years ago today. Remind me to kill his parents when I'm feeling better."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "An eye for an eye, Potter? Well, I suppose it's _always_ worked before…"

Harry's fingers twitched. At the very least, he would one day make sure he couldn't speak in sarcasm. "Enough, Snape. How am I?"

He started without further encouragement. "You don't have a concussion, and you seem as normal as you could be."

Hermione seemed pleased, and hugged Harry gratefully. "You're alright," she whispered, her lips pressed against his cheek. Harry wrapped his hand tightly around her back, and the two shivered at the touch they felt.

Their eyes opened, and Hermione jumped back.

"W-what was that?" Hermione gasped fearfully. Harry sat up, glaring at Snape, who held his hands up placatingly. He looked back to Hermione, who seemed to be trembling, lost in her own world. "Hermione?"

"I see v-visions," she whispered frightfully, visibly shaking, and sweat broke out on her forehead. "Harry, _help me_ ," she whimpered. She looked around frantically. "Where am I? I've never – " Her head whipped around to a dark corner in the chamber. "Who are you? What – Ah!"

Harry scrambled out of bed as he saw his friend's head whip back.

"Stop! _Stupefy_!"

Harry dodged the spell, and without thinking, sent his own stunning spell back. Severus wordlessly dropped to the floor. He ran to Hermione's side, and his magic pulsed in his fingers as he grabbed both her arms. " _Hermione!_ "

"Help me," she whimpered again, not really looking at him. "It's dark. I can't see anything." Without warning, she started struggling to escape his grip, and Harry squeezed her to himself as she thrashed around.

She screamed something, and Harry, with a thought, stunned her in his arms. She fell limp against him.

Harry collapsed to the floor, his rear hitting the green carpet, holding Hermione close. He looked over to his professor, meters away from him, lying on his side as he was blown back from the spell.

He looked back to Hermione, then to the professor, and it clicked for him. Snape was trying to knock Harry out so he wouldn't get to Hermione, because she began getting the… visions, or whatever she had, when they touched.

He looked down to Hermione's peaceful face. He brushed the sweat from her brow, and kissed her forehead.

He spent the rest of the night, rocking back and forth, cradling her head in his lap. When Severus finally awoke, that was the sight that greeted him. With Harry's command – or rather, plea – he forewent carrying her to the transfigured medical bed, and cast the appropriate charms on her right there, with Hermione's head in her lap.

He couldn't find anything; absolutely nothing. She seemed to be perfectly normal, mentally.

Harry was about to fall asleep, when she whispered something unintelligible.

Well, mostly unintelligible. He was able to hear the tail-end of the statement.

"… _Dudley_ … _kill you_ …"

Severus paused and looked away from the image projections his wand gave him. "What? Who is Dudley?"

"My cousin," Harry said, confused. "I've never told her his name. She knew about the Dursleys, but I never told her Dudley's name. His name was never in the search report for me."

Snape was silent. "The troll; is he dead?"

Harry nodded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Severus sighed heavily, and for the first time in his life, he felt something akin to sympathy for a Potter. " _Everything_. She has developed a knack for Legilimency. Suddenly, she seems to be at your level of proficiency. Her mental barriers before were menial, at best. Now, her shields are impenetrable for even the Dark Lord. And she knows something that you've never told her." He allowed the boy a moment to absorb the information, before moving over to his desk and picked up a small black book with empty, well-worn pages.

The book crashed on the floor in front of Harry, and he looked up in surprise at the frowning professor, who now stood in front of him. "Tell me, Potter," he said silkily. "You seem to know many things – things you aren't supposed to know, things that even I have yet to find out. _What_ do you know about _Horcruxes_?"

" _I'd lose a lot more for you,_ " she whispered brokenly. " _I'm not gonna d-die, Hermione…_ "

* * *

-November 4, 1991-

Harry caught himself as he almost slammed forward onto the business end of his fork.

"You okay, Harry?" Parvati asked worriedly, putting her quill back in the inkwell next to her essay, her half-eaten meal forgotten. She eyed him carefully. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"I'm alright, Pad," He slurred, "was just up a bit late. No problems."

She frowned. "Is it about Hermione?" she asked softly, eying the Great Hall for any onlookers.

"Hermione?" Susan wondered, sitting across from Harry. "Is she alright? I assumed she went to class early."

Parvati shook her head. "There was a family emergency – she had to go home for the weekend. That's what Lavender told me, anyway."

"Oh," Susan gasped. "Harry, do you know what happened?"

He shook his head, not trusting himself to speak, considering that it was a cover story he had convinced Lavender to spread. Hermione, physically, had gotten better, but she still wouldn't awaken. It was the only thing he could think of, and had been thinking of for the past three days.

He had told her a lot of things that had happened at the Dursley home, and his journey abroad, but now, she knew… everything. She knew the worst of the worst, now.

Harry didn't know if he would ever tell her about 'Harry Hunting'. He didn't think he would ever explain that while Dudley got bored of any new toys he had very quickly throughout his lifetime, his favorite toy, that lasted for an astonishing three months, was the fire-poker, that was only discarded when it was far too bent – of course, Harry was to blame, for not being fragile enough. He never wanted to tell Hermione about the breaks, the snaps, the internal bleeding that he had to endure on his sixth birthday, when he innocently asked his aunt what day it was, literally not having a clue as to what day it was.

But if there was one thing that he had promised never to tell _anyone_ , it was the ruddy _cupboard_.

He honestly didn't know what point he had stopped worrying about his friend's well-being, and started worrying about his own secrets revealed to her, and he felt ashamed of himself for it. But it didn't stop him from worrying, never-the-less.

He still felt her lips on his four days ago – their first kiss. It was out of nowhere – and, for a moment, he thought it was truly just a ploy to get him to shut up. But he knew her.

However, it now seemed that she knew him better than anyone else. Maybe she knew that he wanted a kiss? Could she have done that just to appease him? Could it have been pity? A spark of emotion, generated from his soul half in her body? Could anything she try to feel in the future simply be an extension of his own emotions? Could she never have her own feelings expressed again, and she would be nothing but a vessel?

His mind had been in turmoil for the past three days with these pressing – _exasperating_ questions. And now, on a Monday, he had to deal with classes.

He had ordered Snape to go on sick leave, so he could spend all of his time on looking over Hermione, but it would be suspicious if both Harry and Hermione were conveniently skipping classes.

On the plus side, he finally had confirmation from Tonks – The rat was flooed to Madam Bones the previous night. In a matter of days, Sirius would be free. He seemed to be relatively comfortable inside Potter Mansion, but Harry was sure he'd like the idea of stretching his legs a bit. Maybe get a place of his own. Sirius, bless him, could never be much of a father figure. Harry had been more of the parent in their relationship during the times he wasn't walking Padfoot, or when Hermione was at school and he needed a friend to play with.

Perhaps it was best if Sirius went off and lived his own life – the life he was never allowed to have. He seemed particularly pleased when he read that he was merely a _national_ criminal.

Harry Potter – all alone, once again. As it probably should have been from the beginning.

" _You're not alone, Harry._ "

He didn't bother to react. He had been hearing Hermione's voice all night, in short statements, once or twice an hour, and he resolved to himself to take a dreamless sleep potion tonight.

"Harry," Parvati said quietly, and he lifted his head weakly to meet her brown, curious eyes. "Would you rather take the day off? I'll take your notes for you."

He wanted to shake his head, but it was far too heavy to put it in such a motion. So he just stared.

She bit her lip nervously. "You and Hermione have the highest marks in our year so far. I don't think they'd mind if you played hooky once."

Susan, unbeknownst to Harry, had gotten up and stood behind him. "Let's take you back to the common room," she said gently. Harry, unable to do anything, allowed Susan to lift him to his feet. He swayed a little, before Susan caught him, and he righted himself. He quickly decided that having someone carry him everywhere was not something he wanted repeated anytime soon.

He wildly shook his head and sleepily thanked Susan, before stumbling towards the doors of the Great Hall, ignorant of the murmurs and whispers around him.

The Fat Lady's portrait was finally in his sight when he noticed that Susan and Parvati was behind him – and he only noticed when they began talking to a third person.

"Are you sure you should be with us right now?" Susan said carefully, her eyes glancing back and forth between Daphne and Harry's faltering walk.

The platinum blonde had her arms crossed as she eyed the boy in front of him. " _They_ won't be a problem. Is he alright?"

Parvati shook her head. "He called me Padma earlier. He must be out of it."

Daphne tried not to show her surprise. Sometimes, even she got the two confused, when not looking or listening for the tells, but Harry had never mistaken one for the other – he made it look easy. "Does this have to do with Hermione's absence?"

"Word spreads fast," Susan admitted. "So you know about her family emergency?"

She frowned. "Makes more sense than what I heard."

"What did you hear?" the redhead inquired.

"I heard that she was injured when she and Harry battled that troll together."

The two girls were in a shocked silence when Harry murmured the password to the Fat Lady (" _Lionheart._ "). He carefully leaned against the swinging portrait passageway and turned back to the girls. "Thanks," he muttered tiredly and awkwardly. He had no idea what they were talking about, but he assumed it was something big by the way they were looking at him.

"Did you…" Susan tried to phrase her words carefully, knowing how private he and Hermione were about some things. "Is Hermione okay, Harry?"

Even through restless eyes, he could see the sincerity in hers. "She's better," he promised, yawning as he did so – not bothering to cover his mouth.

The girls took no offense, but they did look concerned. "You should get some sleep, Harry," Parvati said gently, but firmly. "You look a wreck."

"I am," he promised again, before he promptly fainted dead, not hearing their shrieks of surprise and worry.

 _"_ _You're never alone. We'll take care of you."_

* * *

The sound of a baby's cheerful laughter was the first thing that penetrated Harry's senses when he awoke. Absently reaching for his glasses, he squinted as he sat up.

The laughter stopped, and soft cooing noises began to gurgle forward. Harry's eyes stared blankly ahead, numbly aware that even without his glasses, he could see the shelves of books before him very clearly.

The plain white books on the plain white shelves, in a vast expanse of whiteness. Plain whiteness.

He turned his head towards the sight, and choked back a gasp.

Hermione Granger was there, smiling as radiantly as she had always been, as if she herself didn't know what happened to her. Her two front teeth bit into her bottom lip with anticipated glee as he noticed her, and Harry found himself, just a little bit, forgetting about the previous days he had to endure.

But, oddly enough, it wasn't his best friend that his eyes had dwelled on first. It was, rather, the small baby shifting backwards and forwards in her cradled arms. "Dada!"

Hermione had a preciously nervous grin as Harry looked on in wonder. "Hello. Dada."

Harry slowly stood up, disjointed to say the least. He couldn't even see the white floor he was standing on, it blended so well into the rest of the nothingness. "Hermione? Is this another dream?"

"I asked myself that when I got here." She looked down at the baby in her arms, reaching for his 'father'. "Even as I lived your life, I tried thinking that it was all some sick nightmare." She gently removed her hand and cradled the child with the other, and held her finger up. The little one, easily, reached out for the dangling finger. "At first, it was your parents. Context aside, I'm really glad that I met them. It was short, but it was lasting." She watched the tiny child suckle on her finger with a serene smile. "Then it was _them_. I won't say much. Nothing you already don't know."

Harry felt himself tremble as he stepped forward, towards the illusion, unaware of the robe wrapped around him. Even as she talked so plainly about the Dursleys, smiling at the young infant, she looked distant – cold. Trying to detach herself from her emotions.

The baby began to cry. Hermione was quick to begin rocking the infant, whispering encouraging words into his ear. " _Shhh_ ; it's okay, darling. Mummy and Daddy are here. You'll never have to worry again. You'll never have to be afraid. You'll never be forced to be alone. You'll never yearn for love again. I promise you." Tears fell from her eyes, the salty wetness dampening her smile.

Harry tenderly pressed his palm against her cheek, and it sent a shock through him as he felt her skin – it was so _real_.

"Am I…" He cleared his parched throat. "Are we in purgatory?"

She looked up and her smile now looked genuine. "That was my very second thought." She leaned into his hand. "My parents were Catholic – notwithstanding the concept of witches, they tried to raise me the same. I kept myself firmly in the realm of logic – meaning, I couldn't really decide what decision to come to, for my sake or my parents'." She stepped closer, and the child, enveloped in a gray blanket, had since stopped crying, and looked to both with curious eyes.

Deep pools of curious green eyes.

"At this point," Hermione muttered, looking down into the beautiful orbs, "I still don't know what to believe in. I'm not dead – my body is adjusting, I think. To your presence. Your Horcrux. So I came to see you. It wasn't too hard to find you. You were always right next to me." She motioned towards the teething baby boy. "And then I found… a shriveled, grotesque, spawn of a child. It was hideous. It was deformed. It was almost unbearable to look at.

"But," she muttered, almost to herself, "above all else, it was suffering. It was abandoned. It was in pain. Had I known beforehand what it was, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. But I'm so glad that I did. And even after I found out that this was once a piece of Voldemort, I didn't regret it. I just took it in my arms, and it stopped wailing. And then… it changed. Into this." She gently plucked her finger out of the newborn's mouth, before cradling it with two hands again. "And then," she sniffed, "he called me mummy."

"Mummy!" The baby repeated on cue with enthusiasm, wriggling in his blanket, his beautiful green eyes attached on the flustered girl.

Harry had tears in his eyes as he saw the happiness in Hermione's – the eyes that he had thought, for a moment, that he would never see again. "It seems that he likes you."

The infant remembered the other person in the room. "Dada!"

Harry felt a wave of emotion hit him, and his eyes clouded over. "Dada," he repeated softly.

"Dada!" the child reiterated, smiling brilliantly. His messy brown hair was smoothed over gently by Harry's fingers as he stroked his head tenderly.

Hermione was gleaming as she watched the two interact, before she suddenly frowned. "You're going to be woken up soon, Harry. He's trying to get into your mind. Don't trust him."

Harry nodded, feeling a small ache at his temple, but ignored it for now. "Can… can I hold him?"

Hermione slowly handed the newborn over, and Harry felt awkward as he cradled the infant in his arms. He had never held a child before, but some part of him felt that no matter how he was holding it, it felt – _right_.

Harry didn't have a particular religion in his life – his relatives were church-goers, but he wasn't going to go by their standard for anything – but, seeing the child swaddled in his embrace, and the girl in front of him, he was sure that while he hadn't prayed, someone had answered them.

"Fate, Harry," Hermione whispered, even over the pounding in his head. "Maybe even some type of destiny. We've already connected in the spiritual sense. A divine intervention?" She wiped her sleeve against her eyes, and grinned a happy grin. "I don't want to question it. Just don't think for a second that I like you any less than before this all started."

Harry desperately wanted to believe her – and surprisingly, he did.

"Good," she muttered, gently gripping onto the now-sleeping baby and holding it against her. "I imagine we're going to have a lot to talk about when I wake up," she grinned.

Harry smiled back over the splitting headache. "I just might look forward to it."

She tenderly hefted the child so the chin could rest on her shoulder. Tentatively, she leaned forward to kiss the ebony-haired wizard, and Harry could only respond by kissing back. It was chaste, much like their last and only kiss before, but they were both excited about the things to come – their future together.

"Embrace it, Harry," she whispered when they parted. "And… it might be too late. For the actual Horcrux from Voldemort. But while we can – we can embrace it. See what it has to teach us. See if it can be changed. Molded, somehow." She nodded towards the baby. "You'd be surprised what can happen when you realize you're not alone."

Harry gave her a quick kiss, and grunted over the blinding pain. "Especially," he breathed, "when you're with someone you love."

With a _snap_ , he felt his mind put together again, and into place. And he was gone.

* * *

His eyes fluttered open, and he groaned.

"Are you okay, my boy?" The first thing Harry noticed was the kindly smile. The second was a pair of twinkling eyes over half-moon spectacles.

Harry's head began to throb again, and he quickly focused back on the nice smile.

"I must say, Harry, you gave us all a fright. I hope you had a well-deserved slumber."

"Thank you, Headmaster," Harry muttered in what he deemed a grateful tone. "What happened?"

The wizened wizard stroked his impossibly long beard. "Why, you fainted, dear boy. You've been out for a couple of hours. Your vitals read normal, but we were still concerned at the prolonged hibernation."

Harry refrained from snorting. They had it far easier than he had it in the past few days. "Where am I?"

He made a show of looking around. "The Hospital Wing. I imagine that this is your first time here, yes?"

He nodded.

Dumbledore's hand waved, and the curtain pulled open from around them. Naturally, Harry was more focused on Dumbledore's other hand, behind his back. Still, he made a show of looking around as well, mimicking Dumbledore. "You will find that Madame Poppy Pomfrey is the best medical healer around, even if," he chuckled to himself, "the medicine is not quite as appealing in taste as one would hope. But very effective, so I would hope you can down them all." He motioned towards the headstand next to his bed, and Harry sat up to look at the four small bottles of heinous looking fluid. "Take your time, Harry. Now, do you mind telling me what happened for you to faint? Do you remember anything?"

Harry's mind was working hard for an excuse, and threw caution to the wind. "I don't know, sir." He absently reached for his glasses, and realized with a start that he could see perfectly well. Still, his face didn't betray him, and he nonchalantly slipped his glasses on. He eyed the headmaster curiously, marveling at how the glasses blurred his new vision spectacularly. He had no idea how truly blind he once was. "Much better."

Dumbledore's whiskers glinted in the light as he smiled. "The guardian of the Gryffindor Tower – you may very well recognize her by her other endearing title, the Fat Lady – warned me as soon as she saw you collapse. Miss Patil and Miss Bones graciously escorted you to the Hospital Wing, with a rather impressive use of the Floating Charm." His eyes twinkled in Harry's direction, and Harry felt a niggling in the back of his mind. "Poppy had a fit – she thought they would drop you. I am proud to say, however, that nothing of the sort happened."

Harry outwardly breathed a sigh of relief, while mentally thanking the girls, and making a note to personally thank them. "So, is that it? After the potions, I'm free to go?" He was very, painfully aware that Dumbledore had not yet even tried to call for Pomfrey, and even probably disabled the wards from alerting her when he woke.

Albus frowned minutely, knowing this private conversation was over, as what Harry was aiming for. "I'm afraid that you will have to inquire to Madame Pomfrey about any other tasks she needs to perform on you." He flicked his wand again, and while Harry wasn't ready for it before, he noticed it now; Dumbledore's magic flared as he reenacted the ward, and the immediate pulse that flared confirmed Harry's guess of the ward announcing to Pomfrey that he was now awake.

"Some advice, my dear boy," Dumbledore murmured sagely. "Please eat. And it is imperative that you get a good night's sleep every so often. You're still a growing lad, yet. Miss Granger will be back soon enough. You two have been inseparable ever since the first day of school, and I admit, that may be because you knew each other far before." He began to stroke his beard again. "I also admit; you are far different from what I expected you to be, Harry Potter. Ever since you ran away from your family, everyone looked for you, and you did a very good job at staying hidden." He saw Harry visibly wince at the word 'family', and refrained from mentioning any future summer plans to the boy. It was best to wait until after the potions fully kicked in, which could be in a matter of days. "I'm just happy that you're safe and alive, my boy. Perhaps, you could regale me with your adventures abroad sometime?" His eyes sparkled merrily, and Harry had to give him credit – the man did not seem to give up when it came to getting information.

Harry nodded. "Of course, Headmaster." Harry needed to work on his improvisational story-telling anyway. He would be the perfect test. "Anytime. If Hermione would like to, I would prefer her to come with me."

"Of course I would, Harry." She spoke from the doorway; even Dumbledore looked back in surprise, not expecting her to be there. "Greetings, Headmaster. I have returned. Please send along my thanks to Professor Snape for allowing me a few days absence."

"I will pass on the message, Miss Granger," he murmured, slipping back into his impassive face. "Just please, contact your head of house first if there is an emergency."

She nodded. "I will keep that in mind, Headmaster. But it was rather urgent, and he was the only professor I was aware of with a fireplace I was tempted to use the one in the Common Room, but I knew I had to inform someone first." Her chocolate brown eyes turned to Harry, and the gleam in her eyes was a sight that Harry welcomed openly. "Parvati told me what happened. Are you alright?"

Harry only grinned in reply, not really sure if he was still dreaming again, as the matriarch of the Hospital Wing bustled into the room, and her eyes roved over Harry's relaxed form before she breathed a sigh of relief.

"I only hope to see you in this bed once this year, Mister Potter," the motherly matron said in a clipped tone. "I've seen you play Quidditch. This does _not_ need to happen out there, with the stunts that you do." Her frown softened. "It's nice to see that you are alright, and you were merely famished. Please come to me if you find yourself unable to eat more than a few small portions of food a day. I estimate that you'll be able to eat normally in a few days…"

Harry was half-focused on Pomfrey, more focused on Hermione's grinning visage. Nothing else mattered. All was right with the world.

It was only minutes later that he found himself alone with his best friend. She sat by his bedside, holding his hand as they sat together in silence. She twiddled with her thumbs in concentration, and while Harry had so many things to tell her, he would wait until she said her peace.

Finally, she said something – it was quiet, and Harry almost asked her to repeat it, but his logical mind quickly caught up to her mumbled words.

" _I love you, too._ "

Hermione squeaked in shock as Harry hugged her to him, barely noticing him even moving out of the bed, and she tightened her arms around him.

She smiled against his neck as she breathed deeply. "Sorry for scaring you."

Harry shook his head. "Sorry for making you think you had to apologize."

She laughed heartily and kissed the side of his neck. "Apology accepted." She stood against him, and gently pushed him away. "Now go apologize to those girls for trying to push them away when they were trying to help you."

Harry awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Want to come with me? They'll be happy to see you."

Hermione slipped her hand in his. "Of course." With a quick spell behind her, the bottles of murky fluid were all empty. She winked, and Harry chanced a quick peck on the cheek, before the two walked on, oblivious to the next drastic shift in the fabric of reality.

The two went to search for Parvati, Susan, and Daphne, their lives unknowingly changed more extraordinarily than they ever thought it would.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Expect at least six chapters, since Year One is cut in half, and the rest of the chapters should cover each school year.


	2. Year One, Part Two

Chapter dedicated to Morgan Patrick Sullivan, Alexander Simpson, Matthew Morrison, AtomicStryker, Alex Mathews, and Jeffrey Lin. Thank you all for your generous support.

You may have already read this chapter. This was once chapter 13 of Harry and Harley, before I deleted and replaced the chapter (You may want to read the new version that I changed two months ago.) Nothing new, but fun to re-read Draco getting his ass handed to him. From my perspective, anyway.

* * *

 **Chapter Two - The Setup**

Harry Potter felt incomplete – pun maybe unintended.

His new Nimbus 2000 kept him afloat, cracking through the air akin to the symbol that made him famous, and even as he pushed himself to unholy speeds, he was distracted.

Hermione would not have approved, and that stray thought alone made him feel a smidgen better. He stretched his legs out, abusing the freedom he had without his pads, feeling the powerful breeze rush against him. It was the closest thing he had to apparition, which as he had quickly figured out, he couldn't do.

Still, the broom proved useful for that conundrum. He could fly off the campus anytime he wanted, heading into Hogsmeade and hiding in plain sight amongst the other witches and wizards due to his disguises. At first he was worried about a ward or tracking charm, but there didn't seem to be any – not that he could feel, anyway.

His wand was absolutely poisoned with spells and curses, and he couldn't tell between which made the wand work, and which were supposed to make him weak. It mattered little – it was left in his dorm, locked in his special trunk. He considered simply conjuring a stick to wave around in public as a replacement, but he had a feeling that Dumbledore would know – if there was a tracking charm, he can't exactly have the caster thinking he was in his dorm room all day, every day. He would need to learn to transfer the spell.

It may not have been Dumbledore, they had both theorized, but rather a number of people. The safest establishment in Wizarding Britain had a number of suspects. McGonagall, Severus Snape, Quirinus Quirrell – it could be some kind of test from Flitwick, for all they knew.

Hermione didn't like it, but lately, Hermione didn't like a lot of things.

It was cute, how she used to be. Her loyalty to authority had lessened considerably, especially with a rebellious friend in Harry, and she had learned to stand up for herself. She and Harry received nothing but praises when they helped their friends around the classroom. Her confidence had gone from a timid naivety to assured in her knowledge and skills. She was confident, and positive, and in Harry's humble opinion, very forgiving.

It was the only excuse Harry had for why he wasn't a complete orphan.

It was a different Hermione that woke up that afternoon a month ago. It was a girl that had lived the life of Harry Potter, a boy that she had already adored, according to her, and respected the things he had done in his life to make his own way.

She was as much a part of him as he was a part of her. And _half_ of him was now in her.

His life of travelling had been difficult, but not nearly as difficult as being under the care of the Dursleys. He was a very private person, and Hermione knew and, begrudgingly, respected his privacy. That choice was taken away from him, and her, when he made one stupid mistake in killing the Troll.

He had learned of the Prophesy's contents from his parents, so long ago, and honestly, he didn't pay it much mind. He had every intention of killing the Dark Lord that took his parents away – who might encounter who first was a non-factor.

Now, it was the only thing she could think about, and thus, it was the only thing _he_ could think about.

He had never seen Hermione so tired – so desperate to find an answer to not only the death of Voldemort, but how to make her best friend _whole_ again.

Their lives were forever mingled together at this point, and the two, even at their young age, understood everything that came with that. Still, when Hermione thought too much about the entire situation, she couldn't help but feel queasy at the idea of owning half a soul, lingering in her head, and violently ill at the idea of Voldemort's soul living in her best friend's head.

And whenever she felt that utterly sickly feeling, it ran through the back of his mind.

He needed a distraction. Which was how he found himself in the skies, gliding over the pitch. He had no desire to sneak away; not today, not anytime soon.

Things were changing, he realized; things that weren't supposed to be falling apart and coming together, things that weren't supposed to be happening. The unexpected was becoming even more uncertain.

And perhaps it was the chaotic part of him, the part that put him on his Nimbus to calm his nerves as he performed a Wronski Feint, or maybe it was the self-assured part of the both of them combined, but he was actually looking forward to it.

Or maybe he was looking forward to the aftermath; a future with Hermione. And that was the uncertainty that scared him.

At this point, he half-expected the voice in his head to tell him that he was not alone, but those three days were over – his head was once again his own.

Something told him to look down, and he did.

Hermione stood there, a distant smile on her lips, clutching a small stack of papers. Her eyes followed him until he finished the loop, and landed gracefully in front of her. "Unfortunately, Harry…" she began, breathing deeply, "… I don't think your head will ever be your own again."

Harry blinked. "Well, at least I won't be lonely."

"Harry, be serious, here – and don't you _dare_ make that joke! You have _actual voices_ in your head! I won't use it, but if Voldemort ever comes back, then you'll have an insane murderer talking to you anytime he pleases."

"If he knows about the soul piece, you mean." He dismounted his broom. "You feel my presence. I've never felt his. I feel some twitches in my scar, but you saw him. That thing in my head isn't a threat, if anything it's a tiny piece. I feel like a lot more of me left my body that night."

"That may be true, but it's disconcerting." Even through the gloomy topic, she managed a small smile. "If we ever want our… future together, as you so put it, I don't want to read every thought that runs through your head. It's an invasion of privacy in the highest sense, and I don't think boys would like that."

Harry tilted his head. "Huh. Didn't think about that."

"I suggest you try not to."

"So you can read my every thought? Have I been a good boy?"

" _Harry!_ "

"Come on, Mine. There's a very obvious reason that boys wouldn't like it. I'm sure you've seen some reasons already."

She huffed and crossed her arms. "I'd say you take far too many liberties in your dreams with my body, but I'd have to say you are incredibly accurate."

"Well, our minds are partially connected, now. You've edited those dreams since."

"I never want to know what I used to look like." It only took a few seconds of silence for the image to appear, unbidden into her mind. "Oh, that's just disproportionate."

"Give it a few years. You're not the only one that reads trashy novels."

"I read it for the entertainment. You read it to fuel your nightly exercises."

Harry made a face. "How long have you spent in my head?"

"Enough to feel jaded at pretty much everything you do. I practically lived your life, Harry. Looking through your eyes makes it difficult to turn away. So I'm only going to say this, One More Time, for the rest of our lives. No more secrets."

If anything, the silver lining was that Hermione was indeed independent of her own thoughts, and his presence in her mind didn't alter her personality at all. Because if it did, he certainly wouldn't have had her ask for such a promise, and would have done everything in his power to persuade her from such a request. Still, she deserved to know everything, now that she had seen everything else. "No more secrets," he swore.

She softened. "We all have our own personal woes, you more than most. But I think we've crossed that line together. If _anything's_ bothering you – nightmares about your aunt and uncle, memories of your parents, Voldemort, anything – I'm here for you. You know that. And I'll do the same."

He nodded. "Deal. So how should we go about that… the last problem you said?"

"Training. Studying. The usual. We're getting that thing out of your head. Not much use taking care of a baby that only exists in your mind. If we could get it out here, that'd be perfect, but it'd still be a baby Dark Lord. Do you think it could be a risk we'd take together?"

"I'm… not sure. It certainly feels calmer, less headaches than I recall. Even when Quirrell looks at me."

"So, this Tom Riddle he seems to be attached to; could he be a servant? A Death Eater, they called them?"

"It's possible. Or it could be the Dark Lord himself. Not sure how likely that is."

"I'll do some research on the name. You can go back trying to kill yourself on that broom."

He tilted his head. "Actually, I think I'll join you. There can't be that much information on Tom, is there?"

"In a library book? Not likely. We need a more current source. Something credible."

* * *

"Oh, _ruddy_ – I shouldn't 'ave said tha'. I should _not_ 'ave said that."

Harry smiled innocently. Sometimes, it very well could be that easy. "That's okay, Hagrid. We won't tell anyone. Can you tell us anything else?"

* * *

"What am I thinking right now?"

"Besides thinking if I can read your thoughts or not? You're bloody frustrated that there aren't many books on soul bonds."

"That was a guess, wasn't it? Because you're spot on."

"I could try to buy Madam Pince's secrecy for access to the restricted books."

"No, don't bother – there are probably compulsion charms and detection spells. She's Dumbledore's greatest resource and weakness. I wouldn't be surprised if that's how most Dark Lords got their start – through dangerous books."

"You think Voldemort got to these books as a kid?"

Before Hermione could respond, their friends let out a 'yip' in fear, and a loud bang against the table. "Sorry."

Padma rubbed her sensitive knee, that almost upended the table. "Every time," she complained. "I barely even hear you two talking when I'm absorbed in my reading. But every time, I hear _that_ word, and it's _all_ I can hear."

Harry wordlessly ran a hand over her knee, healing it. "We should probably have a code word. You bring up a good point. If anyone hears us saying his name, their ears would perk."

"You're right," Hermione admitted, closing her tome. "So, if not Vold- well, _that_ , then what do we call him by not making him obvious?"

"Tom."

"Not too obvious?"

"Better than You-Know-Who. You're not getting me to call him that."

"I wouldn't expect you to. Tom seems so… respectful."

"Considering he changed his name, I'd think he hates it," Padma piped up, embarrassed from her earlier outburst.

"It's an anagram," Hermione explained. "All very uninspired, really. 'I am Lord…' well, you know. An anagram. Tom Morvolo Riddle."

Padma worked out the puzzle in her head. "Huh. A literal riddle. That takes the magic out of his name a bit."

"TMR?" Harry pondered allowed, testing the name on his tongue. "Tommy? At this point, I can just call him – "

"Voldemort!" Susan blurted, before slapping her hand over her mouth.

Daphne blinked in surprise. "Didn't know you had it in you."

The strawberry-blonde blushed. "Me neither," she squeaked. Harry found it adorable.

Hermione only found it somewhat cute. She was beginning to feel the effects of this new relationship they shared. She didn't know if she was okay with it, or if Harry was okay with it, and she was only having mirror feelings about it all.

"I just wanted to force it out," Susan muttered, worried about some unknown, unseen force around her. Her eyes shifted around the room – the makeshift study room they were in, the Hufflepuff Common Room. "To see if I could."

Padma's lip trembled. "I don't think I'm ready for that. Or any of our parents, for that matter."

"Voldemort," Daphne said aloud. "It's not like it hurts to say it. It's just a word. The taboo had been taken off when he died."

" _Taboo?_ " both Harry and Hermione asked. They weren't in any of the readings they'd perused.

"A tracker word. When said aloud, the Ministry is alerted to your location."

"Or, in that case," Susan continued, "his Death Eaters hear his name pronounced aloud. And that's how names like 'You-Know-Who' and 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' began."

"I suppose that's something very confusing to those not in our world." She looked pointedly at Hermione. "It's very strange. You seem to hold no fears. Fletchley, Thomas, Lavender, Dunbar – they fear the name. Yet they didn't grow up with the legend, to fear it."

The small group pondered the logic, and the potentially invasive ramifications of such a seemingly unfitting – and at least, magical – truth.

"Someone's messing with our heads," Hermione muttered. "And… the only reason I'm not affected is someone got to mine, first."

At their friends' looks of confusion, Harry and Hermione shared a glance – a more innocent look that had been shared over the years, that had now taken on a far more meaningful gesture.

The silencing ward, always in place during their 'study sessions', held up well, as they began to explain, well… everything.

* * *

Harry and Hermione were both relatively reclusive people. In fact, had they never crossed paths, they likely would have never wanted to cross paths with anyone in their lives. In fact, while it was once discussed in a joking matter, they would have been content in being alone, together.

But from that day forward, they began to see the positives in working in numbers. And, as cheesy as it sounded, the power of friendship. It was as genuine as any other magic Harry had seen so far in Hogwarts.

It was shocking how many eleven year-olds were willing to help him kill a Dark Lord. Really, it was even more shocking how many of them believed him. Hermione, aloud, supposed that it was his charm. The others jokingly agreed, not fully joking, almost serious.

He was Harry Potter, after all. A reputation came with the name.

Hermione, Daphne, Padma, Parvati, Susan, Cho, and most recently, Hannah and Tonks, helped him as friends, not knowing that one day, they'd become part of the legend.

* * *

It was by Christmas Eve, when Tonks bought him, and the rest of her new young friends, a set of Chocolate Frog cards, that Nicholas Flamel came up in conversation.

Harry winked at himself in the mirror (or rather, _from_ the mirror), and dropped the stone in his pocket, on Christmas Day. Best present ever, if you had asked him.

"What do we even do with this?" Hermione pondered, panic edging into her voice. "We can't tell a professor about it. Do we give it back to Flamel? He obviously made a poor judgement call to give the stone to Dumbledore."

Daphne crossed her arms. "Well, think about this. At the moment, we're the most powerful children in the world. Most powerful wizards and witches _ever_ , once we figure out how to use the stone. So, suffice it to say, we can do whatever we want. And I'm not saying any of us could figure out how to replicate the stone in some way, but if we did, then we don't need to ever tell anyone how powerful we are, or, well, could be. So I don't think a professor, or even Flamel, should have to know."

Harry thought back to the potion riddle – the last test before the fiery door – that he and Hermione solved in a matter of seconds. "There's someone we can trust," he tentatively began, "but I need to test our relationship a little more. Or, better yet, the limits of what could be called a relationship."

Hermione grimaced. Sure, she didn't like the man much, but he watched over her for three days, and despite the hard exterior, and the forced servitude, he seemed willing to help them, if only to further his own agenda of being free from Riddle's reign, and gain riches in the process.

And, of course, there was the fact that he was helping the son of Lily. It would take a long time before she gained his respect, however.

But if there was anyone that they could trust with such an important item, in the field of alchemy, Severus Snape was their best bet.

It was time for them to stop holding back from their friends. Harry agreed.

"Well," Daphne breathed after she was told of the life oath owed to James Potter, which transferred to Harry after Snape had directly led to his murder. "Now I know why he hasn't yelled at me for spending so much time in other Common Rooms."

"Now I know why he hasn't yelled at me at all," Tonks muttered. "He still voids the punishments I hand out to his snakes, but at least he doesn't spin them back on me, like my predecessors." She let out an evil chuckle. "This should be interesting…"

There was a snort under the table they were sitting at.

Perhaps, in hindsight, Snape had already proven his loyalty, providing the necessary nutrition potions for Harry's Godfather, sans poison.

"Padfoot likes the way you think," Harry chuckled, reaching down to stroke the grim's fur. "But I don't think we should antagonize the man who's handing out potential immortality."

"Fair point," she conceded. "Maybe after."

"That being settled," Hermione tried to redirect the conversation back to topic. "While we can all take an accurate guess as to why the stone is here, considering this school has an unwanted guest, we can only speculate as to what Dumbledore is expecting to happen."

"Me," Harry said easily. "He expects _me_ to happen. My parents 'thrice defied' him, why not me? We know what the mirror of Erised does, but we're not supposed to. The charms on the invisibility cloak only proves that I was 'required' to take the stone from his grasp. He's weak right now. He's merely a parasite."

"Yet he still expects you to take him on?"

"He'd expect me to have the cloak on me. I'm willing to bet that after I face Riddle, Dumbledore will just… be there, ready to save me."

"A safe bet, really. Quite a gamble, however. Could we be sure that's the real stone?"

"I'd think Riddle could tell the difference," Susan chimed in. "He can't afford to take a gamble. He really knows how to endanger everyone in this school when he puts his mind to it."

Dumbledore probably really wouldn't like the fact that they were turning their circle of friends against him, but they honestly couldn't care if this plot were true.

And they had almost doubt in their minds that it was.

"Is it useful to be doing all of this in secret?" Susan continued. "I mean, my aunt is doing all she can under wraps, but she'd be able to exonerate your godfather much faster if she did it through the proper channels."

"There are a surprising number of people still in the ministry that were there when he didn't get a trial," Daphne tried to explain, though even she couldn't make sense of it all. "We don't know who to trust. Your aunt Amelia is a lock, but we don't know who might make a call. Dumbledore has eyes and ears everywhere. If he really did know who was the secret keeper, then we need to keep this as quiet as possible. Not to mention the _actual_ Death Eaters in the ministry, or paying them off to make a few 'errors' along the process."

"Can never be too careful," Harry agreed. "I never would've been sent to the Dursleys if Padfoot was a free, er, dog."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, code words don't work that way."

He rubbed the back of his head. "If Padfoot was never sent to the pound, those first few years wouldn't have been so lonely. How's that?"

"Better. I think."

"Speaking of which; how's our rat problem, Susan?"

"As well as could be. Holding cell, with all the right charms equipped. No foreseen consequences."

"As one would hope for. I just hope a Dementor is guarding him."

A soft bark of agreement could be heard from under the table.

* * *

"Oh, a tale of a boy and his mutt. Would be a shame if he went the way of Old Yeller."

"Boy, do you know how to hold a grudge, Snivellus."

"Then again, Yeller was actually missed." He looked towards the 'owner'. Technically, I don't have to help him at all. He was the sole reason the life debt began."

"You killed the man you owed a life debt to. That goes above everything. Don't try to catch me in a loophole."

Sirius stretched his far underused human limbs. "Damn, if feels good to be back. Don't worry about that ponce, Harry. See, your father was a Transfiguration nut, and your mother had Charms. I, the ever loyal and capable best friend of a werewolf, had Potions. I just need my own little play set."

"No problem. I have one in the trunk." Harry pulled out a matchbox and tossed it to the ground. "Go nuts, I have plenty of stock in some of those rooms."

"I swear, I don't know how you raised yourself to be such an amazing kid. Sod all that being James's son; you're every bit of your mother, clear and through."

"Hardly," Severus muttered.

"Once you learn how to behave, Snape, you get access to the goodies. I have some ingredients in here, that'll make Knockturn Alley look like Madame Pomfrey's closet."

"Yes, you've threatened that before."

"Just reiterating how epic the collection is."

Before he stepped into the suitcase, Sirius paused. "Severus; just so you know. I owe my Godson a life debt as well. He broke me out of Azkaban. So when you wake up in the morning without a very sizeable chunk of you missing, or your boy bits, it's out of courtesy to Harry. But know this, you slimy piece of human filth; when the time comes, a blood feud can't even interfere with a life debt, and if you cross that line, I will not hesitate to cross mine."

Without waiting for a response, he walked on.

"I expected more."

Harry looked at him closely. Legilimency could hide a lot of emotions, fear being one of them, but his stance had tensed noticeably. "I know you did; That's all I would have allowed him to say. I don't have to remind you that I can let him off the leash, so to speak, any time. But you don't have to worry about that, I just wanted to let him say that to get it off his chest."

"Are you expecting a plea for mercy?"

"Considering how angry he was when he found out the truth? You practically owe me another life debt."

Sirius had already taken the stairs into the enlarged briefcase, eyeing the mansion inside with awe. "Bloody hell, it's almost as big as Potter Palace!"

"It's the same size," Harry confirmed, following inside. "In fact, it's the same building. You just stepped into a portal. I'm surprised you didn't notice."

He took another look around, looking embarrassed. "Sorry. Been a while since I could see in colour."

"I hope my animagus isn't a dog. I'd like to keep my newly acquired perfect vision."

"Yeah, seeing is fun, isn't it?"

"So, have you given any thought about what you were going to say to Lupin?"

"Yeah. I'll start with the matters of your custody. And why the fuck he doesn't have it."

"I do believe that problem started when you handed me over to Hagrid."

"I need to have a talk with that giant."

"Half-giant."

"Wait, how d'you – ?"

"The man knows how to talk. Do you really think you can 'have a talk' with Hagrid?"

His godfather grimaced. "Alright. Maybe I'll talk to Fang."

"One thing at a time, brave soul. First deal with the werewolf, then deal with the half-giant's dog."

"You have a funny way of putting things in perspective. Must be the James part."

"Oddly enough, I think it's the Hermione part. The part of me with common sense."

* * *

"Potter!"

Even Daphne groaned with the rest of the group as they collectively turned to the nuisance.

Harry and Hermione, well, they long since learned to detect when they were being followed, and silently agreed to teach their friends some useful techniques, Occlumency being near the top of the list.

But first – the nuisance.

"What do you want, Draco?" It was Hermione, this time. They liked to alternate.

He narrowed his eyes. "No one was talking to you." It seemed as if he wanted to continue that statement. Fortunately for him, he liked his bladder control. "We settle this. Midnight. Crabbe is my first. Granger is yours. Sound fair?"

"I don't want you to be outnumbered, Draco. So I'll tell you what, I'll be Harry's first. But only if Goyle's your second, and Nott's your third. That should even it up a bit."

Draco scoffed. "As if you could stand a chance against me alone, Mudblood."

Apparently, Draco had a great health plan.

"On second thought," Harry said, in a manner so calm that everyone in the hallway, including Hermione, took a step away, "we don't need to wait. I've got a free period. Let's do this right now."

He scowled. "You can't change the rules, Potter! It's already agreed upon!"

"I haven't promised anything, you daft little shit," he growled, tightening his fist. "I don't even have to sanction anything. Why don't we have a proper wizard's duel, and I just make the next six years at this school a little bit less annoying by _killing you._ "

If Draco could look at Harry Potter's green eyes, he would have seen a kid who lived for five years on the street, a boy who scraped for the things he got, a boy who killed a beast just three months prior.

Even then, arguably, he knew he couldn't have backed down either way. "You can't challenge to a proper wizard's duel until you're seventeen. Shows how much you know about _my_ world."

"Oh, I know enough. I know that when you challenge for an underage duel, you have to put something on the line. Fifty thousand galleons."

If anyone had been otherwise distracted in the hallway, their attention had been firmly grabbed now.

The blond took a step back. "Y-you're lying, Potter! You can't come up with that money!"

"Oh, you're right. My apologies; maybe I should ask my parents for the money."

Draco stuttered, while the rest of the gathered audience realized what he was getting at – he must have emancipated himself to get beyond the Potter's trust account.

"You should be thankful for my dead parents, Draco," Harry said mockingly. "It's about time they did something useful for you. A hundred thousand, on the table. Take it or leave it."

The audience gasped, hearing the number so casually doubled. "I… I accept your bet, Potter."

"No, you don't. Not yet. You can't get that much by tonight. I can. So I'll need collateral."

"You just worry about yourself, Potter. You can't even leave the school! So how will you – ?" he paused as Harry pulled out his mokeskin pouch – the blood red pouch marked with brown runic engravings.

"Goblin-modified. You were saying?"

"I- I need time to gather the money. Give me a few days! It's not like we all have no family and no one to share our money with, and bloody responsibility, for Merlin's sake!"

"That reminds me." Hermione, in her wisdom, always liked thinking ahead. "The heir to the Black fortune. Put it on the line." She wasn't completely sure if Sirius had the authority to transfer the heirdom, being both the last remaining Black male and stricken from the family tree tapestry, and she wasn't sure if the family magic recognized that titbit yet, but if this was on the line, it wouldn't go to Draco. That would be ensured.

If they thought it was impossible for the blond to pale even further, he achieved the impossible. "You're crazy! I'd never – "

"You already accepted my bet," Harry reminded him, twisting his words back on him. "And I need what you have on hand, or the duel is forfeited. You know what the punishment is to that, don't you, Draco? This is, after all, _your_ world."

Of course, Draco knew what the forfeit would consist of – Public admittance of defeat, the handing over of his wand, and everything in his own trust.

It was then that Daphne stepped forward. "Allow me to add on to this ponce's bad luck." She grinned evilly, and the people around them swore it was almost as terrifying as Harry's own grin. "Let's talk marriage contracts. Mine, Pansy's and Astoria's. Total value of a hundred and fifty thousand. I'll even throw fifty into the pot. If Goyle and Crabbe are in this fight, I see no reason why they can't put something up."

His wand almost slipped out of his tight grip, his hands were so sweaty. "You're all crazy!"

"I'll take that bet," Harry pulled his wand. "Shall we begin?"

"There will be no spell casting in these halls, Mister Potter."

Harry sighed. He was going to _destroy_ whatever portrait reported them. "Hello, Headmaster. The fight has already been made official. As headmaster, the only thing you can do if find us a good duelling platform."

"Harry, my boy, I must insist that you stop this – "

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but the only thing you could insist on is that the Great Hall be cleared out. I could do it myself, if you insist any further."

"Mister Potter, there is no chance of a duel taking place without an officiator. I'm sorry, but this barbarism stops _now_."

Draco had probably never been so relieved to see the Lord of the Light in his entire life. He breathed a sigh of relief, looking ready to hug Dumbledore.

"Hold on," Hermione frowned. "Nott was your third. It seems all a bit unfair that he doesn't have anything on the line." She didn't even seem aware of the entire exchange that took place. Her eyes shifted towards the taller of the foursome. "What's your worth?" When he said nothing or rather, stumbled over his words, she turned back towards her friend. "Daphne?"

"One Tracey Davis, if I recall."

Hermione looked towards the gathered group. "Will Tracey Davis please step forward?"

A meek, dark red-haired girl stumbled out of the group, looking utterly lost at this series of events, not expecting to be involved at all. Still, she smiled shyly at Harry, and Harry smiled back encouragingly.

Hermione clapped her hands together. "Great! Now we just need someone to be a willing officiator!"

"This has gone on long enough, Miss Granger." Dumbledore made his way between the two groups, acting as the divider. "And you showed such promise as a student, here. Your parents will be hearing about this."

"I want the Mudblood."

Everyone turned, as one, to the source of such a statement, and it could have been only one person to have said it in front of Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter. Hermione spoke first. "Excuse me, vermin?"

"You have no right to call me by anything other than Master by the time we're done here. After I take out you and your little boyfriend, you'll be forced to sign a slave contract."

Contrary to what everyone was expecting, Hermione snorted. "The little inexperienced Draco wants a little practice? Why not borrow a chicken from Hagrid?"

"Because Crabbe and Goyle are too stupid to know what one looks like to get one for him," Harry explained. "And he obviously doesn't know how to choke a chicken himself. Besides, story of his life, they might end up taking a cock for him."

" _ENOUGH!_ " Albus yelled, wand at his throat as he amplified his voice amongst the laughter. "I will personally see to it that all of you are suspended if this nonsense proceeds further. This charade has gone too far, and you will all be severely punished _after_ your suspension."

"You continue this duel or I will transfer."

He merely raised an eyebrow at Harry. "I beg your pardon?"

"Officiate this duel. Or I will leave Hogwarts. You will hold no authority over me, and Draco and I can start this duel in the Summer. God knows Lucius holds enough authority over this school to allow this fight within a few weeks, and take out the front page of the prophet to advertise it, but if you don't let this fight happen right now, I have a few headmasters to call. Your choice, _Headmaster_."

The wizened old man chuckled. "As your legal magical guardian, Harry, I simply cannot allow that."

"Emancipated children don't have legal guardians. And if you threaten to overturn it, I swear I will transfer to another school, in another country."

Green eyes met blue, and for once, there was no pain in the back of his mind. Not only did he stand a chance against his probe now, it was nothing. Hermione's help, and a very powerful time dilation ward, did wonders for his psyche.

The man was about six feet tall, Harry being almost five feet, and yet he stood in the gaze of the headmaster unflinchingly. The lucky boys and girls that have gathered made witness to the Boy-Who-Lived and the Leader of the Light, the conquerors of the most well-known Dark Lords in a millennium, not stuck in a mere disagreement, but caught in the midst of a threat; a battle of wits and wills.

They waited with bated breath at who would make the next move, like watching a chess game.

Harry didn't expect to make the next move, but his knight took the leap forward.

"Enough of this."

Billowing robes swept past the students, and a path was knowingly or unknowingly made as they parted for the professor. "Students, you know the rules. Once you agree to the terms put on the table, the duel will begin after my count, and not a _moment_ sooner. That would lead to an immediate forfeit and handing over all items bet. You will have seven days to bring forth all wagered items, or you will face interest at the winner's description. Place your terms."

"Severus, that's enough!"

Draco gathered himself, while his mates stepped forward, their swagger almost matching that of their leader. "The marriage contracts of Daphne and Astoria Greengrass, Pansy Parkinson, and Tracey Davis."

It really helped his confidence that Severus Snape was officiating. If he only knew the rules to his own game, he'd know that if the head of his house showed favouritism, he'd be forced to give an equivalent of the wagers and split it amongst the two.

Harry was careful to not show his hand. "Two hundred thousand galleons and a slave contract, willingly signed by Hermione Granger."

"The wager is uneven. The average pureblood contract is fifty-thousand. Mister Malfoy must put forward something else."

He sneered. "Fine, then. I'll put ten more knuts on the table. That should even it up nicely."

"How about you put your own nuts on the table," she kindly offered, "so I can make sure the Malfoy family never spawns again?"

"Fifty thousand galleon equivalent," Snape continued, seemingly unconcerned. "Suffice it to say, Miss Granger, that the bloodline of the Malfoy family is worth far more."

"How much is the inheritance to an ancient House?" Harry wondered – already knowing the answer.

"The Bloodline itself can never be bet on by the head of the family. The inheritance to the family ring, however, can be wagered."

" _Fine_ , the Black family heir's inheritance, let's get it over with!" Draco snarled, looking murderous.

He already knew he couldn't lose. This was all just a formality.

Everyone was distracted – yet again – by a loud bang.

Dumbledore lowered his wand. "Children," he began gravely, "it is not your place to alter marriage contracts. It is solely up to your parents. I heavily advise that you all walk away and think about what you have done, and the foolishness you started. I am ending all of this now."

The tense silence that followed, was one for the books. There was a little bit of everyone that stood in the hallway, that Hogwarts itself had expanded whenever it felt a bit crowded – the Gryffindors, Slytherins, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs stood together, not in defiance, or absolution, but confusion. Confusion as to what to do next.

Finally, it was Harry that spoke. And the people got what they never knew they wanted. "I put my magic on the line. If I concede or forfeit after this statement, I give it up as a freebie. So mote it be."

A powerful glow erupted in the hallway, a huge contrast to the soft, calming glow that would usually come with any magical bet.

Severus cleared his throat. "Per the rules of a duel, Mister Malfoy must present something of equal value, which can only be the magic of himself or someone else."

"I don't want his magic. I want an oath. The contents of which will be divulged after the duel, at my discretion and convenience."

"Acceptable," Snape droned, knowing that the young Malfoy had nothing else to wager. "Are those terms acceptable to you, Mister Malfoy?"

"You're crazy, Potter." He was smiling as he said it. "You lose your magic, you'll never be able to step foot here again. The second I hit you with the finishing blow and take your wand, all you'll see is an old ruin. A decrepit old building. No magic, no girlfriend, no friends, and since you can't come back to my world again, no money." His smile only got wider, and in all honestly, it made it harder for him to talk, but he couldn't help it. "Of course I accept."

Dumbledore, the entire time, was trying to think of a way to stop this entire duel from happening, and have Harry keep his magic, but he knew it to be a fruitless effort. He had no idea how things could have escalated so drastically, and how he had lost so much control so utterly, in front of so many students. He could only frown at all of them – the only thing he really could do – and took his leave, his head held high, but not before mustering the most powerfully sad grandfatherly look he could at Harry.

It wasn't that he didn't think Harry could win – in fact, he was absolutely sure the boy could not fail, according to the magical energy that had burst from him, all of his magical blocks destroyed as it was put on the line, defending itself and its host. Or so he thought.

He was more concerned about the ramifications of this day – the contracts broken, the power base that was growing under young Harry Potter and the knowledge he seemed to have absorbed, and while it all seemed so innocent now, according to their weekly meetings, what Harry could be in seven years, or even five, was something he could see growing out of control very quickly.

The boy had so much more to fight for, more than Harry could have possibly imagined. And that, according to his plans, didn't bode well for any type of Greater Good.

He didn't have long – he needed to change his plans. Drastically.

Flitwick, unnoticed by all but Harry, Hermione, and Severus, stepped forward into the centre of the controlled chaos. "Severus, I see you have things under control, but after that impressive display of magic, I fear we need someone to maintain the shield while you officiate."

Draco looked aghast. "What? What display? He didn't do anything!"

"Oh! Oh my," he giggled. "This should be rather interesting."

Severus, doing his best not to shake his head, raised his wand and the floor raised the two groups and the professors up. "All non-participants leave the platform."

Harry's mouth twisted into a frown. He had wanted the fight to be in the Great Hall. Still, beggars can't be choosers. Besides, he had a feeling this would only be the first duel of many, after defeating the scion of the Malfoy family.

Susan glanced towards Hermione. After her nod, she stepped up to Harry, and after getting his attention, kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck," she whispered with a smile, and jumped off the platform.

His face began to burn, and it only got redder as Padma and Parvati followed in her footsteps simultaneously. Hannah and Daphne were left, and Harry could see the nervousness on her own face. "Don't, er, don't feel like you have to show them up."

She shook her head, and leaped forward to kiss him on the lips.

Hermione giggled as he stumbled, and even Hannah needed help stepping off the platform. Daphne stepped up to him, and tilted her head at him. "You're about to have my marriage contract," she reminded him. "I don't think a kiss _anywhere_ would show how grateful I am."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You can't even _flirt_ with anyone else as long as the contract is active, right?"

She nodded in confirmation. "So no kiss. Until after."

Harry smiled. "I look forward to it."

Hermione hid her smile. "I think I am, too."

Daphne eyed the both of them. "Me three."

Snape grimaced. The things he would say if he had his free will… "The duel will begin in twenty seconds. There are still classes to be had."

Daphne hopped off the platform, while Harry stared forward at the scowling blond. "Then get ready to go to classes in twenty-five seconds."

"Heh," Draco pointed his wand up – the customary pose for starting a duel. "You're really that confident in yourself. What spells have you learned in the past eight months?"

"None."

"Ready your wands. No lethal spells."

"Pathetic, Potter. As expected. Your false bravado will lose you _everything_."

A golden dome surrounded them. "Ten seconds!" the squeaky voice of Professor Flitwick announced.

"On the contrary, Draco. I didn't learn anything, because there was nothing left to learn here."

"Three, two, _one!_ "

Sparks shot into the sky. " _Begin!_ "

"…W-what?"

" _Titillando!_ "

Draco was hit square in the chest by the violet spell – but he didn't lose grip of his wand, nor did he fall. Purple, tendril-like ribbons began to wrap themselves around him and he let out a squeak. Then another.

Harry began to step forward, and when Theodore Nott stepped in the way, Hermione wordlessly shot past Harry and stunned him, and he fell to the ground. He picked up the wand, never losing his stride, and tossed it back to his best friend, who deftly caught it.

Crabbe and Goyle, rather predictably, ignored their wands in favor of running forward, and Harry simply raised his wand to sweep an invisible wind into them, knocking them down.

Draco began to laugh maniacally, the veins popping out in his forehead, his voice going hoarse, as the ribbons mercilessly tickled his skin. Yet, he did not fall, or drop his wand. That may have had something to do with the sticking charms Hermione had strategically placed on Draco's person, knowing Harry would want a few seconds alone with him, even without their mental link.

Draco laughed in Harry's face as the Boy-Who-Lived eyed him carefully, inches away from his nose. He could still see the fear in the boy's blue eyes.

Never had he seen a boy laugh so much, in so much _pain_ , consumed by so much _fear_.

After a few more seconds of his very forced laughter, he cast a wordless spell that he had been working on. Draco froze, mid laugh, mid breath, as the ribbons retreated to – somewhere. "When you fall," he breathed, almost touching noses, "when you _lose._ I won't even add to the contract that you're forbidden from calling my girlfriend, or anyone else, a _Mudblood_." He removed his fake glasses and dropped them to the floor. "Rather, I _dare_ you. You want the full Potter? You want me to show off my 'bravado'? Fine. You get to see what Harry _Fucking_ Potter is like. You're just a Malfoy. I'm just a Dark Lord Slayer. So woe is me when you lose today."

He heard two heavy thumps behind him, and he knew that Crabbe and Goyle were taken out of commission for a longer period. "I drop the façade, today. For you, Draco. You should feel honoured."

"And we'll take far more than your pride and things your daddy got for you," Hermione calmly explained, having heard everything from the link. "If you ever feel the need to insult me, or Harry's parents, or our friends, again. Well… prepare for the worst. And prepare your will – to give to us. All you need is to ask for another duel." She reached up and gripped his chin, stiff as stone. She gave a disdainful sniff. "I want to see that pure blood cleanse these dirty floors."

She waved her wand to deactivate the spell, and tipped him over by his nose, and it was fitting that his back hit Harry's glasses as he thumped on the ground. Harry picked up the unused wand that rolled towards his feet. He handed it over to Hermione, and she added it to her growing collection.

The glasses didn't crush – the frame bent, and they cracked – but it didn't make it any less of a symbol of what happened today.

Harry Potter and Hermione Granger stood victorious, and the stunned crowd, having witnessed and heard the entire minute long duel (of which there was about ten seconds of duelling) watched as Daphne, unashamed in her actions, hopped onto the platform after the dome disappeared and kissed Harry, full on the lips.

They were almost as stunned when she turned around and did the same to Hermione.

Hermione responded to the kiss as well as Harry, wrapping her arms around the girl, and when she released her, she grinned smugly.

Harry, having both Susan and Hannah on his arms, looked down at his unconscious opponent, and the surrounding victims. He then looked over to the stunned professors. "So, who won?"

* * *

"Do you think we went too far?"

Hermione considered the question. "No. I don't think so. The funny thing is, Dumbledore thought he lost today. We revealed a lot of secrets today, thanks to that little stain."

They were situated in one of the many unused classrooms in the school, a rendezvous point in between classes when they didn't have time to meet on the seventh floor, in the Room of Requirement. Tonks and Cho, being in different years, only shook their heads as their friends explained to them what they missed. "Bloody hell, Harry. I need to stick around more. I knew that being around you was gonna be interesting."

"It comes with the name, Tonks."

"No, I think you cause that chaos all on your own, Potter. Do you expect a kiss from me, too?"

Even the memory of that moment that Hermione volunteered to share, made Harry struggle to hide his blush. "No, I don't expect one. Since I'm in the business of freeing girls from contracts, are there any unsuitable suitors you're scheduled for?"

"Nah, I'm a free woman. But since you're scheduled to take the inheritance to the throne now, and Padfoot can't do anything at the moment, could you do me a favor?"

"I'll put you and your mother back in the family, Tonks. No problem."

She kissed him on both cheeks. "That's all you're getting 'til you're older."

"You may not have to wait long," Hermione muttered, figuring she should leave it a surprise to Tonks that Harry was a metamorphmagus as well.

Cho shook her head in disbelief. "I was right; it's always an adventure with you. I'm still trying to discern whether that's a good thing or not."

"It's not," Harry freely admitted. "We're just making the best of it."

She shook her head with a grin, then leaned over to kiss Harry on the cheek. "Then I might as well, too."

"That's the spirit," Tonks cheered, leaning down to wrap her arms around her friends. She looked down at herself, at her hunched over form. "You know, there's something I've never done before. Your birthday's still the thirty-first of July, right?"

Harry nodded. "So I've been told. Orphan and all."

"Just corroborating." She slowly released them. "I think I know what to get you for your birthday this year. Don't worry, it's kid-friendly. Literally."

Harry and Hermione both rolled their eyes, having already figured it out. "Just don't overwork yourself, Tonks."

"… He told you, didn't he? I'm going to kill that mangy mutt of yours."

* * *

Harry, true to the strangeness of his everyday life, walked into the Room of Requirement, meeting the girls of the study group, nodding to each of them, including the newest members, Tracy Davis and Lavender Brown, whose grades were merely average, and upon Parvati's advice, joined their little group, and took warmly to it.

Harry walking into the room wasn't the strangest thing all day. What really fascinated them was the purple scarf wrapped around his shoulders.

"Um, forgive me for being new," Lavender spoke up, never afraid to speak her mind, "but what's with the fashion faux-pas? Why a scarf in April?"

Harry looked offended. "I'll have you know, Miss fashion princess, that this is not a scarf."

Hermione sighed. "It's a turban, isn't it? No wonder I sensed you getting a head-ache."

"A turban?" Susan wondered. "Oh! Is that Quirrell's?"

Harry nodded, making a show of flinging the cloth around his neck. "He might not have any taste, according to Lavender, but damn if it isn't comfy!"

Only Lavender was left in the dark at the magnitude of what happened that they missed, and the rest of the girls showed it, sans Hermione.

She picked up on it pretty quickly. "Hermione, did I just hear you say you 'sensed' his headache?"

The couple sighed. They really needed an introductory pamphlet at this point.

"Okay, Harry," Hermione crossed her arms. "Start from the beginning. Remember our promise."

"Not much to tell, honestly. He wanted to kidnap me, because he didn't know how to get to the stone. Since the hallways detect spellcasting, he tried to grab me. That didn't work out as well as he hoped." Harry looked thoughtful. "When I locked you out to spare you from the pain, it still got through to you as a headache? Interesting."

"Interesting and terrifying. That means I can feel your pain. I wonder if that works for other extreme emotions? Or is it only because he triggered the Horcrux?"

"…What the hell is going on?" Lavender finally chose to speak up. "I feel like I'm missing out on something."

"Not much," Susan admitted. "He killed one of Voldemort's many forms. He had been possessing Quirrell. How's the one in your head, Harry? Did it react?"

"…"

"Susan, you have to stop doing that. Luckily, this one was sitting down."

* * *

"Well, let me start with the good news," Tonks announced on the train home, resting her hands on crossed legs in the compartment. "The good news, you get your present early."

Harry nodded sleepily, not feeling the best as of late, since his meeting with Voldemort. Hermione and Daphne, at his sides, held him up as he listened to the pink-haired girl. "The bad?"

"The bad is I hope you don't have any expensive antiques at your manor, because I'm bound to knock it over."

Harry blinked a few times. "What?"

"Perhaps I should start over. Pettigrew escaped."

" _WHAT?!_ "

"Calm down, calm down," she tried to placate the entire room, her ears ringing. "That's the official story. Unofficially, Fudge found out, and he sent out Dementors to handle the little problem. So Madame Bones relocated him, and told everyone he escaped. Meanwhile, now everyone knows he was in custody to begin with, so of course, Fudge is the one looking incompetent. He's got to be seen doing something. What better way than by helping, well, _you_. Thanks to your little beat down of the Malfoy heir, daddy Malfoy tried to choose an Auror himself, but thankfully, Fudge saw the error in making a former Death Eater, no matter how reclaimed they are, your bodyguard. So Madame Bones got to choose. Guess who?"

Hermione looked perplexed. "You?"

"Good guess. No. Hestia Jones. I got to request to being the understudy. Helps that I'm the cousin of an innocent man, your Godfather, and protecting you is a nice little piece on my resume, in lieu of Academy training. It's also a bonus that I sent in Pettigrew to begin with. Thanks for that boon, by the way. So… as said before, please bubble-wrap all your items. Actually, now that I think about it, I could use some training."

"Done," Harry muttered, shaking his head free of any cobwebs. "I prefer my bodyguards as good as me. Now, what's the present?"

"Oh, erm… hold on, I need to go change. I don't need these school robes anymore, so I could transfigure these. Be back."

She made her way through the packed room, and when she closed the door, Susan turned to all of her friends. "I'll miss you guys."

There were similar mutters of agreement and sentiment, before Harry pulled out a mokeskin pouch – a normal brown one, this time. "Speaking of surprises," Harry said cheerily, "if I'm in the need for two bodyguards, then all of us might need each other. That's my shameless excuse, and I think I'll stick to it." He pulled out some empty matchboxes, and threw then to each of his friends. "Hold on to it, and it will activate to you and you alone. It's part expanded living area, part portal that will take you straight to Potter Manor, depending on which latch you release first. Time distillation runes are available in a majority of the rooms, so your parents will never know you're gone. Hermione and I have spent years in these rooms. Giant library, great kitchen, perfect places for practical homework. The Trace doesn't work here. Keep this on you at all times. You can make it disappear anytime you want, so only you can see it. I suggest tapping it now, so you won't be sensed doing it at home."

"We bought one for each of you," Hermione re-clarified, looking around at their group of friends, and potential allies, "because you're our friends. Over the past year, that's been made very clear. More importantly, it's for your safety. The runes built into it, with Daphne's help, require your magical signature to activate but not necessarily your magic. Just touch it, and it will do what you want. It could become a charm, or a thin silver rope to fit anywhere on you, from your wrist to your neck, or your foot. I suggest wearing it at all times. It can protect you, it can alert you of danger, and, thanks to Padfoot, they can be used for communication. We'll be working on a little project this summer involving mirrors."

Susan stared in awe at the tiny, unassuming box, as were the rest of their friends. "Why not give them to us as jewellery? If you don't mind me asking?"

"It's getting used to your magic. You'll know it's ready when it turns into a charm. When it's a suitcase, put anything you want in there. Just throw it in, and it will organize itself. Great for emergency exits. It also makes a good Portkey. It… it really does a lot of things. I should have written them down."

"I did," Daphne quickly informed them, "but they're in my trunk. I've actually been researching a spell that we can use on the trunk that summons anything we want if we think about it. Sort of like the Room of Requirement, except for things already in the trunk. Perhaps we could all work on it over the Summer?"

"Of course," Hannah agreed with a noticeable smile, "I'd love to." While she had gotten a very useful, seemingly very expensive tool, the best news she had gotten was that she wouldn't be alone this Summer.

Padma and Parvati, from across the compartment, shared nervous glances. Hermione took notice. "Your parents would probably notice any strange, new jewellery, wouldn't they?"

They nodded. "Father is very strict when it comes to tradition," Padma explained. "Should anything come to pass, you should probably meet with him."

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to have you meet him now," Parvati muttered, biting her lip. "We're lucky no one took pictures of us kissing you so far, especially at the same time. Luckily, he doesn't believe in Marriage contracts, but he makes up for it in other traditions, to 'even it out'. He'll be there to pick us up at the station. Perhaps you could say hello to him?"

"Of course," Harry agreed quickly. "I've done some reading, actually. I've charmed yours specifically, to turn into… well, glasses. It was all I could think of at the time. And by the time I got to Padma's, I thought of a beauty mark. Small, and discreet. Just stick it to your face, and it will find the right spot every time. Trust me, I'll never mistake you two again after that whole episode last November, but I know you two are tired of never being told apart. You get your identities now. And the glasses actually will help you see better, Parvati."

She tilted her head at the box, and her sister sighed. "Do you want to trade?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't think so. You're a Ravenclaw, already; I'm not turning you into a stereotype with some glasses. Besides. I want to pretend to be the brilliant one, until I actually get there." She looked up at Harry. "You realize that wearing glasses is a sign of weakness in the magical world? Something to do with our cores. My father would, no pun intended, see right through this."

"I wasn't aiming to trick your father. Trying to get on his good side, and if anything were to happen down the road," and he fully intended for a future with all of them, "I can't start it with trickery. He's the head of a house, still, and I'm sure he's willing to negotiate. As for the weakness, you can turn it back into a necklace when we come back for the school year."

"Hold on," Tracey interrupted with a frown, "I know you said your dad doesn't believe in marriage contracts. But it sounds to me like Harry is trying to claim them."

The room turned to Harry, but it was Hermione that spoke. "That is precisely what he's trying to do. In case he goes back on his word one day, your fathers own all of you. We know how customs work. One day, it may lead to that. If Voldemort – " she paused awkwardly, and when no one in the cabin flinched, she tried to hide her smile. "If he were to ever come back, your families might find themselves in trouble, in every sense of the word, including financially. That's how it is for girls under seventeen in the world. Arrangements need to be made to ensure the continuation of profit or bloodline, no matter how pure that blood may be."

"With Harry buying my marriage contract," Daphne continued, "and my sister's, I now have my own fate. I decide who I want to sign it. Whenever I want."

"That's brilliant," Susan slowly admitted, running the idea through her head. "Buying our contracts and giving them back to us."

Harry nodded. "I can certainly afford to do it. That duel inspired me that it's a great chance to help all of you. Tonks was only a free woman because she was banished from the Black family. But you all have contracts, I think. Muggleborns don't."

Hannah looked hopefully at Harry. "You'd really do that? Buy contracts and freely give them back to us?"

"I'd do it for my friends. Not random people. And by doing that, I'd be making you all targets. You're all under my protection, so to speak. Hence the gifts."

At that moment, in her balled hands, a flash erupted from Cho's fist. She loosened her fingers, and a silver, lightning bolt-shaped charm dropped, impeded by the thin chain still held by her thumb. Everyone took a moment to stare at the glittery, simple charm, before they glanced back at Harry. "This looks… expensive," she choked out, scared to even _wear_ such a beautiful looking pendant.

"The pendant wasn't the expensive part. It was the suitcase. The compartment was bloody pricey. But everything couldn't be free, could it? I had to go out and buy something nice for my girls, couldn't I?"

Daphne leaned her head on his shoulder. "Your girls, Harry?"

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I can't speak for the rest, but your heartbeat makes me assume otherwise."

"I wasn't countering your claim. I'm just pointing it out to the rest."

"Oh, I'm sure most of us noticed." Padma eyed the newly formed necklace in her hand. "And, hellishly expensive gifts notwithstanding, I'd love to be your girl. I'm not saying I'd sign a marriage contract over to you, but there's no other boy I'd trust to hold in their possession. It's why I – well, _we_ – want you to meet father."

"It's been blatantly obvious that there are no other boys in this compartment," Hannah whispered, placing her chain around her neck. "And I feel like this necklace is some kind of branding. Then again," she took a glance around at her closest friends. "They all call us Potter's Girls. Is it wrong for me to have accepted that name this whole time? To like it?"

"It doesn't mean anything," Lavender tried to defend. "I mean, I was accused of joining the 'harem', as Sheamus so subtly put it, when I did. And here I thought it was an all-girls study group, hosted by the cutest boy in the school." She lifted her hair, and Parvati helped her hook on the necklace. "Not to sound vain, but whatever keeps that going, I'll be part of your club."

Cho's eyes twitched back and forth, fumbling nervously. "Are we just going around the room confessing?"

Susan held up the lightning bolt in her palm, already adorning the pretty jewellery. "I think I'll pass on trying to talk myself into it. I'm already in. I said I was in the night you let us all in on this." She looked up at Harry with serious blue eyes. "As you all know, I might have my certain fascinations with your… training. You're a very powerful wizard, Harry, and I know you'll one day kill the murderer of my… m-my parents. And I want to help any way I can. I mean, I like you, a lot, but I don't think I can make a decision like that. Not yet. But I'm leaning there. First things first, I've got my mind on far too many things."

"I think we all do." The room turned to Harry. "You're all my girls. You're all my friends. Whether you want to be more or not, is up to you. I won't ask, unless you want me to. I won't pressure you. We're all just having fun, here. Hermione and I, we set out to make friends, and frankly, we have a lot of cute, smart, dependable friends. Why would I spend all my time around a bloke when I have all of you to spend time with? Why would I want to share my good fortune? I mean, I'm sure you all know a few blokes who could've joined us. You didn't. Because you liked this arrangement. You've all decided on a certain level of trust with me. But this isn't a harem or anything. We're just a bunch of almost second years, an almost third year, and a graduate, looking to enter a war one day, and win a war promptly after that. Whatever happens between then and now, is your choice, completely. I can only promise to take care of you all the same, if you need it."

"I'm more than Harry's girl," Hermione spoke from next to him, crossing her arms as she smiled companionably at her friends. "I'm pretty sure he's my bloody soul mate, at this point." She gestured to the lightning bolt charm that hung between her shoulder blades. "Ethereal circumstances aside, I knew that before I stepped foot in Hogwarts. But in any case; you've seen the choices presented to you as decent partners. Girls are usually more mature than boys, but Malfoy, his goon, the redhead; they're all a different breed of idiot than we've ever seen. I wouldn't have had much of a choice to begin with. You gravitate to _Power,_ and that's what we are, and that's what we will be. There's going to be a massive change in the Wizarding world, and your logic, and magic, has recognized and accepted it. There will be more who will join us. We are all the 'originals', should we say. No one will go above you all in our little group, and when the time comes, We'll never forget our first friends for believing in our cause."

"Thanks for making it sound like bribery," Harry muttered, giving the room a sheepish smile. "Hermione likes to think ahead. But like I said, we're just kids. I gave you those to be safe, because you're friends with Harry Potter. You may find yourself having some trouble getting along with other people, especially Daphne and Tracey, and any other Slytherins that might join us, like maybe Pansy one day, because you're associated with Harry Potter, and the politics are only going to get more segregated as the years go on. You can leave at any time. But I can't tell you how long that mark might last. So keep the necklaces for your own safety. You all have a safe haven in Potter Manor. You'll all be in very real danger when the time comes, and I'm not talking about just Voldemort's return."

"Of course," Susan nodded. "Rogue Death Eaters, blood purists, people who are just obsessed with blood purity traditions, or angry fathers who want their daughter to be the beneficiary of your will… really, a lot of people might want you dead in the future, Harry."

"Looking forward to it."

"Droll tone aside, I'm sure part of you really _is_ looking forward to it. We all care about you, Harry. Sooner or later, something may happen between all of us. Sometimes, our magic may guide us to the most enticing wizard that fits us. Powerful witches tend to go for powerful wizards, you and Hermione being the best example since your parents, so my aunt says. In whatever manner that may be."

"Same here," Tracey slowly agreed, finally putting on her necklace. "My disengagement from Nott won't bode well for me in the future. I need protection. You're the only one that can provide that, Harry."

He knew he could. Severus's compliance ensured that. "Of course, Tracey."

"We're all, in a way, Harry's girls," Parvati pointed out. "And I think I like that. Like some muggle spy organization or something. And we all care for him. And, elephant in the room, there's a Dark Lord pending. He might not even need our help, but he needs our _support_. He's our _friend_. You're _all_ my friends – sisters, even. I don't see how this has turned into a debate."

"I don't think it is," Lavender began to realize, glancing around the room, at everyone's empty hands. "I think we just all agreed on the same point, here."

Daphne looked smug. "I love it when a plan comes together. Or rather, a coven."

Harry found his luck rather changing for the better as he squeezed her and Hermione's shoulders. "So? Will you be my girls?"

It was Susan – surprisingly – who got up first and leaned over Harry. "I'll be your girl," she smiled encouragingly, and pecked him on the lips. "Or at least give you my first kiss. I think he's earned that out of all of us."

Cho came next. "Definitely." She quickly ducked in and kissed the corner of his mouth. "This all feels very awkward," she whispered into his ear.

"How do you think I feel?" came the response, before he untangled his arms and kissed her full on the mouth, gently reaching up to rest his hands on her waist. Her being older than the others, he felt she deserved more.

There were varying degrees of kisses shared, until Lavender came last. "I wanted to be first. But I figured, why not take my time…?"

"I'm always missing the party," a somewhat familiar voice complained, and everyone turned to a pink-haired little girl, standing at the doorway. "Wotcher, Lav. Mind if I get a spin?"

The dark blonde, still sitting on Harry's lap, squeaked and almost fell off the boy. " _Tonks?!_ "

"In the flesh. Half-off, same amount of fun!" Her pink eyes and hair, tied in a ponytail, was just as vibrant, but her body, in muggle clothing, had changed radically. She was a waif of a girl, with spindly legs and bony arms, and he was sure it would have been a perfect match for when she was naturally that age. "I think this is the best bodyguard disguise in the world. They couldn't possibly reject this on their force. Sometimes, changing myself at will can be useful."

"I'm going to be honest, Tonks," Harry admitted, smiling at the cute preteen, "I can't imagine a time where it's not useful."

"You say that until you try dating." She wrinkled her cute little pixie nose. "Actually, you say that until you decide to date like big boys and girls do. Mum warned me not to be in a situation like that and go through something like it, and that's given me nightmares enough to not even try. I've kept my metamorph abilities under wraps so long, and I haven't tried dating, yet, for obvious reasons. But I'd like to start fresh with someone I trust." She looked around the room, her eyes lingering on the only boy in the room. "I don't know how long I may want to stay in this body, but I'm pretty comfy in this skin. Not a lot of people get the chance to relive their lives the right way, making the right choices. So… any takers? I'm not too picky."

Harry's hair flashed green, and the room around him took a sharp intake of breath. "You'll always be Tonks to me. No one else."

Harry had no idea what kind of effect that had on the new Tonks, but he got a hint of it as she almost tripped on the way to jumping on his lap, and entered her first snog session.

The other girls in the compartment didn't know whether to watch in fascination as their hair cycled through a rainbow of colours, or to look away and give them privacy. Daphne merely shrugged and straddled her girlfriend's lap, and Hermione obliged.

Susan had the sense to lock the compartment door and blacken the window, showing a hint of what she had learned over the year, before eyeing Hannah, her best friend, curiously.

"Is this what it's going to be," Lavender wondered, not quite as a question, looking at her seat mates study each other. "Just a bunch of us making out? With Harry? With each other?"

"I suppose," Tracey guessed, usually being the quiet one of the group. "I mean, for now. I _like_ all of you, you're really great friends, and I owe Harry a lot." She shrugged. "We're young. I don't know what I want. But faced with the reality of marrying Theodore Nott one day, I would choose any of you. Sorry if that sounded backhanded."

Padma leaned over and kissed Tracey on her soft lips, and the girl squeaked in surprise, but didn't back away. "Sorry," she muttered once she parted, "just wanted to know what it felt like."

"I think we all do," Lavender joked, "but none of us actually tried it. So how was it?"

"Wonderful," Tracey admitted, blushing. "Hermione and Daphne seem to be enjoying it, right?"

The girls silently agreed. Still, no one went for the bait again, willing to instead think about their choices, and their friends' choices, knowing that they had the entire summer to discuss their future.

Of course, Harry was going to be involved, simply for the fact that he was Harry. Not only being a great friend, he was a great wizard – one of the most powerful, they knew.

And he, and the girls around them, were a much better choice than the inbred boys who were waiting to be contracted to them by their parents. They at least knew that Harry and Hermione could protect them.

And, being honest with themselves, they knew that they were at least attracted to Hermione. In the Wizarding world, power was a great aphrodisiac. Especially being young, attractive and powerful.

Still, what mattered was that Harry and Hermione were great friends, and they genuinely wanted to return the favour for their help.

They all began to eye each other. Co-existing together? Completely doable. Something more?

It was hard to say. But, as said before, they had all Summer, and beyond, to think about it.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** You may or may not see small sections of this chapter added to future chapters of Harry and Harley, and/or flashbacks to Harry's first year that isn't in this story, but I may add at a later date.

Thank you for reading, and please review!


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